"Don't sleep at noon, collapse in the afternoon", if time permits, most people will choose to take a nap and wake up feeling refreshed.
A new study recently found that people who nap regularly have a slower rate of brain shrinkage.
People who nap regularly have a larger brain capacity
A June 2023 study published in the journal Sleep Health found a causal relationship between frequent napping and a larger total brain volume, and napping slowed the rate at which the brain shrinks with age, thereby helping to maintain brain health.
Study screenshots
Using Mendelian randomization (MR), the study explored the relationship between habitual napping and cognition and brain structure. The study analysed more than 370,000 participants in the UK Biobank database, with an average age of 57 years, including:
57% of participants never took a nap
38% take occasional naps
5% take naps regularly
The analysis showed that people with a genetic predisposition to napping were associated with a total brain volume of 15.8 cubic centimeters greater than those who did not have a genetic predisposition to napping. This is equivalent to a person with a napping habit that slows down brain volume aging by 2.6-6.5 years. (1) (2) In this way, "napping" or one of the health secrets to stay young and fight aging.
Not only that, but a proper nap has these benefits:
1. Prevention of Alzheimer's disease
Research published in General Psychiatry in 2021 showed that napping is effective in preventing Alzheimer's disease, and that regular napping can also improve mental agility. ③
2. Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
A 2019 study published in the online edition of the journal Heart found that people who took occasional lunch breaks (once or twice a week) had almost halved their risk of developing stroke/heart failure compared to those who didn't nap at all, a 48% reduction. ④
3. Helps improve mood
Taking naps during the day can regulate mood and improve mental state after napping. A 2010 study published in Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences found that the amount of happiness and relaxation components increased significantly during waking up after naps. ⑤
4. Relieves autumn fatigue
Xiong Wuzhong, chief physician of the Department of General Internal Medicine of Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said in an interview with Extreme News in 2023 that to relieve the feeling of lack of autumn and autumn sleepiness, it is recommended to go to bed early and get up early, generally falling asleep before 11 p.m., getting up at about 6 o'clock in the morning is more appropriate, and you can take a short nap at noon. In addition, properly basking in the sun and eating more fresh vegetables and fruits can also help alleviate the phenomenon of autumn fatigue. ⑥
Health Times Graph
How long is a nap most beneficial?
The optimal nap length is 15-30 minutes.
A 2023 study published in the journal Obesity found that people who took more than 30 minutes of napping were associated with a 41% increased risk of high BMI and metabolic syndrome, especially in terms of waist circumference, fasting blood sugar and blood pressure, compared with those who did not nap.
People who took a nap of less than 30 minutes had no metabolic health risks and performed better in terms of blood pressure. ⑦
In general, a nap of 15-30 minutes is better. If you exceed the time, it is easy to have discomfort such as "can't open your eyes", "still want to sleep", "don't want to move", "brain is cloudy" and so on.
In addition, some bad habits of napping should also be changed.
For example, if you take a nap immediately after lunch, you should slow down for at least ten minutes.
Like to lie on the table for a morning nap, easy to cause neck muscle fatigue, it is recommended to use deck chairs, U-shaped pillows and other items.
In addition, if you delay sleeping until 4 or 5 p.m., it will be easy to sleep until dark, thereby disrupting the biological clock.
This article is synthesized from:
① Hedman AM, van Haren NEM, Schnack HG, et al. Human brain changes across the life span: a review of 56 longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging studies. Hum Brain Mapp. 2012;33:1987-2002.
(2) 2023-06-21 Medical Novi "New study found that regular napping has greater brain capacity, but not more than this duration"
③ Cai H, Su N, Li W, et al 2021, Relationship between afternoon napping and cognitive function in the ageing Chinese population, General Psychiatry , 34:e100361. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100361.
④ Nadine Häusler, et al. Association of napping with incident cardiovascular events in a prospective cohort study, Heart(2019). DOI:10.1136/heartjnl-2019-314999.
⑤ Luo Z , Inoué S. A shortdaytime nap modulates levels of emotions objectively evaluated by the emotionspectrum analysis method. [J]. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 2010,54(2):207-212.
(6) 2023-09-04 Extreme News "Why does autumn dry and autumn appear? How to survive the autumn in peace? TCM experts remind to do the following well"
⑦ Lifestyle mediators of associations among siestas，obesity，and metabolic health[J]. Obesity.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202370072
Source: Health Times