The best nap time is here! Research finds that people who take naps regularly should never take naps longer than this time!

"If I don't take a nap in the afternoon, I will collapse in the afternoon." In busy life, nap has become an important habit for many people to relieve stress and restore energy.

The latest research found that those who take naps frequently may have slower brain aging! So what is the best nap time? What should you pay attention to when taking a nap? Let's take a look!

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The optimal nap length is here : don’t exceed 30 minutes!

A study published in the journal Obesity in April 2023 showed that the optimal nap length is less than 30 minutes.

Compared with people who do not nap, people who nap for more than 30 minutes have a 41% increased risk of high body mass index (BMI) and metabolic syndrome, especially in terms of waist circumference, fasting blood sugar and blood pressure.

Those who napped for less than 30 minutes had no metabolic health risks and performed better in terms of blood pressure.

Taking a nap for too long may be harmful to your health, especially for this type of people!

In June 2024, a study published in the European Journal of Neurology showed that for patients with hypertension, naps should not exceed 30 minutes, and long naps increase the risk of stroke.

Compared with a 1-30 minute nap, a 31-60 minute nap was associated with a 27% increased risk of stroke, and a nap of more than 60 minutes was associated with a 37% increased risk of stroke.

People who often take naps,

The brain may age more slowly!

It is said that sleeping is the brain's way of "recharging", and research has indeed confirmed this.

On November 21, 2024, a study published in Science showed that a 30-minute nap (light sleep) can effectively improve cognitive performance and put the brain into optimal condition. Naps are often this type of light sleep.

A study published in the journal Sleep Health in 2023 showed that there is a causal link between people who take regular naps and larger total brain volume, and that naps slow the rate at which the brain shrinks with age, helping to keep the brain healthy.

Specifically, people who take naps regularly have a larger total brain capacity, which is equivalent to a 2.6 to 6.5 year slower brain aging.

Maintaining a proper nap has these benefits

1

Effectively prevent Alzheimer's disease

A study published in Comprehensive Psychiatry in 2021 showed that naps can effectively prevent Alzheimer's disease, and regular naps can also improve mental agility.

2

Reduce cardiovascular disease risk

A 2019 study published online in the journal Heart found that people who took occasional naps (1-2 times a week) had almost half the risk of stroke/heart failure, a 48% reduction, compared to those who didn't nap at all.

3

Helps regulate negative emotions

Taking a nap during the day can regulate emotions and improve the psychological state after the nap. A study published in Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience in 2010 found that the amount of happiness and relaxation components increased significantly during the wakefulness after a nap.

Healthy nap, pay attention to these points

1

Keep warm during nap

When it is cold, you must take good precautions to keep warm during your afternoon nap. This is because the body temperature drops during the afternoon nap, and the body's resistance also weakens, which greatly increases the probability of cold air invading.

2

Don't take a nap right after eating

Many people have a short lunch break, and it has become the norm to take a break right after lunch. Doctors recommend that you take a walk in the sun for 10 to 20 minutes after lunch to relieve the feeling of fullness after a meal, promote digestion, and give the stomach some time to rest. Then take a nap.

After lunch, the stomach is full of food and the digestive system is busiest at this time. Taking a nap at this time will affect the digestion of the gastrointestinal tract, hinder the absorption of food, and even cause food reflux. If this continues for a long time, it will cause lesions in the stomach and have a serious impact on the body's digestive function. The quality of the nap will also be affected.

3

Put a higher cushion when taking a nap

Lying on the table to take a nap will prevent your body from stretching, which will lead to poor blood circulation and increased blood vessel pressure. Lying on your arms to sleep will also cause compression of nerves in many parts of the body, often causing anxiety during naps and difficulty falling asleep.

At the same time, the posture of bending over a desk puts greater pressure on the cervical spine, lumbar spine and back, which can easily cause damage to these parts in the long run.

Doctors recommend that office workers should lie on their backs on a chair as much as possible during their lunch break. If conditions do not permit, they should try to raise their heads and lie on a soft pillow or mat to take a nap.

4

Massage your neck, waist and back after a nap

It is advisable to wake up slowly after a nap. Waking up suddenly can cause blood pressure fluctuations and cause symptoms such as dizziness.

After waking up, you can do a simple massage. For example, a dry face massage on the face can promote blood circulation; after the massage, the neck, waist and back can be better relieved, allowing the body's functions to gradually "wake up".

References

[1]Lifestyle mediators of associations among siestas,obesity,and metabolic health.Obesity.26 April 2023

[2]Long daytime napping:A silent danger for hypertensive individuals.European Journal of Neurology.15 June 2024

[3]NREM sleep improves behavioral performance by desynchronizing cortical circuits. Science, 2024.

[4]Is there an association between daytime napping,cognitive function,and brain volume?A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank.Sleep Health.Volume 9, Issue 5P786-793October 2023

[5]Relationship between afternoon napping and cognitive function in the aging Chinese population,General Psychiatry,34:e100361.2021

[6] Association of napping with incident cardiovascular events in a prospective cohort study, Heart (2019).

[7]A shortdaytime nap modulates levels of emotions objectively evaluated by the emotionspectrum analysis method.[J]. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 2010,54(2):207-212.

Planning and production

Source: Health Times

Reviewer: Zhao Wei, Chief Physician, Department of Neurology, Tianjin University TEDA Hospital

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin