The science behind power naps | power nap time
Thestigmaagainstnappingisfinallystartingtowane—andforgoodreason.Takingatimeouttosleepduringthedaydoesmuchmorethanjustgiveusaquickenergyboost.Italsoconferssomeseriouscognitiveandhealthadvantagesaswell.Here’swhatthelatestsciencetellsus.Unlike85%ofallmammalianspecies,humanssleepjustonceaday.Scientistsaren’tsureifwe’renaturallymonophasic(asopposedtopolyphasic)orifit’smodernsocietythathasmadeusso.Regardless,it’sclearthatwe’renotgettingenoughsleep.Nearlyathirdofussayweresimplynotgettingenoughofit....
The stigma against napping is finally starting to wane — and for good reason. Taking a timeout to sleep during the day does much more than just give us a quick energy boost. It also confers some serious cognitive and health advantages as well. Here’s what the latest science tells us.
Unlike 85% of all mammalian species, humans sleep just once a day. Scientists aren’t sure if we’re naturally monophasic (as opposed to polyphasic) or if it’s modern society that has made us so. Regardless, it’s clear that we’re not getting enough sleep. Nearly a third of us say were simply not getting enough of it.
Power naps can alleviate our so-called sleep deficits[1],[2] but they can also boost our brains, including improvements to creative problem solving, verbal memory, perceptual learning, object learning, and statistical learning. They help us with math, logical reasoning, our reaction times, and symbol ...