Take A Nap, It’s Good For You

by Amber Kahwaji

There are two types of people in the world. Those who loves taking naps, and those who believe naps are a waste of time and something only kids do.

But what if you were to learn that taking naps actually help boost work productivity and overall health? Then would taking naps sound enticing?

Roughly one in three adults do not get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and most adults get less than 7 to 9 hours of sleep, the recommended amount from the National Sleep Foundation.

And a lack of sleep can cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars a year in productivity loss, $411 billion to be exact, according to The Washington Post.

There are various health benefits to napping, and some companies like Google have even implemented a policy that allows their employees to take naps during the work day.

Napping has not only shown to boost productivity among working adults, it has also shown to help boost one’s mood, lower stress, and improve alertness and motor function, according to Sleep.org.

But the key to really getting the benefits from napping is to know how long to nap for. There are three stages of napping, and each one has its benefits.

Stage one is a 20 minute nap, or as some people call it, a catnap. This age-old method has deterred some from napping altogether for fear of waking up groggy, but exactly the opposite is true.

Taking a 20 minute nap is all you need to get the benefits of a nap while not entering REM sleep, according to Sleep.org. This method is the best way to wake up feeling refreshed as oppose to waking up feeling tired and foggy.

Stage two of a nap is anything between 30 and 60 minutes of sleep. During this time you will enter a deeper stage of sleep and wake up feeling tired.

If any nap is to be avoided this is the one. Sleep studies show you’re better off napping for only 20 minutes as oppose to this second stage of napping.