Why Taking Naps Will Make You Live a Healthier Life

Naps aren’t just for toddlers anymore. A surprising number of studies have shown that taking a nap has numerous health benefits for adults as well. Mid-day naps offer benefits for both physical and mental health. Adding a nap to your daily routine can improve your health. Go ahead and take that afternoon nap - you are actually taking a step towards living a better life!

6 Reasons Why Naps Will Make You Healthier

A few extra minutes of sleep is a great way to enhance your health without a lot of effort. Weaving naps throughout your schedule can benefit not only your physical health but your mental health as well. Here are 6 reasons why your health will benefit from a daytime nap.

Decreases Cortisol Levels

The Art of Manliness highlights the effect of naps on physical health, stating, “Sleep deprivation leads to an excess of the hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, helps us deal with fight or flight responses. But excess cortisol increases glucose intolerance and abdominal fat, weakens the muscular and immune systems, stymies memory and learning, and decreases levels of growth hormone and testosterone in our bodies. These deleterious effects can lead to diabetes and heart disease.”

Gives Your Adrenal Glands A Break

In addition to creating all the health issues mentioned above, consistently heightened cortisol levels can lead to adrenal fatigue. Your adrenal glands produce hormones that help control your blood sugar, react to stress, and regulate your blood pressure. When your body is stressed over a long period of time, it can lead to adrenal fatigue. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue are chronic fatigue, inability to cope with stress, cravings for salty foods, a weakened immune system, low blood pressure, frequent urination, overuse of stimulants such as coffee or energy drinks, and decreased focus. Taking a nap can help lower your body’s cortisol levels and give your adrenal glands a much-needed break.

Boosts Your Mood

A bad mood usually means you are experiencing feelings of anger, frustration, and irritability. Research has suggested that naps help improve logical reasoning and regulate our emotions more effectively allowing us to tolerate frustration more easily. When we are able to appropriately cope with frustration and stress, our mood will begin to improve.

Improved Alertness (Better Than Caffeine!)

No need to pound back that energy drink if you start feeling sluggish. If you find yourself constantly getting sluggish in the afternoon, hit the pillow for a quick power nap to improve alertness and reduce fatigue. The benefit of naps over caffeine is that while both can heighten alertness and attention, naps also enhance your brain’s functionality for a higher level of alertness.

Taking a nap can also help to improve your focus. You have most likely experienced the dreaded afternoon slump at some point in your life. It is a common experience when you begin to feel tired shortly after lunchtime. Craig Stewart designed an infographic for Creative Bloq, titled, “Have a Nap to Improve Productivity and Creativity.” In it, he states “Humans are hardwired to nap between 1 pm and 3 pm. Our bodies have a cycle, known as the circadian rhythm, in which we experience two periods of intense sleepiness every 24 hours: one between 1 pm and 3 pm, and the other from about 2 am to 4 am. During these times, our reaction time, coordination, mood, and alertness are diminished.” Since our circadian rhythms cause us to be naturally sleepy from 1 pm to 3 pm, taking a short nap during this window will not affect our ability to sleep at night.

Improved Performance

When we allow ourselves a daily nap, our brain functionality increases. Studies indicate that the simple act of napping not only improves concentration but increases your ability to focus, improves creativity, and logical reasoning.

Napping can also help you learn and retain new information. This can benefit you whether you are in school, the workforce, or just trying out a new hobby for the first time. The Huffington Post reports on the way naps improve our ability to learn, stating, “It’s the deeper rapid eye movement (REM) sleep that’s been linked with the cognitive process, so it’s no surprise that it takes a long nap to reap real brain benefits. But if you can squeeze in an hour or even 90 minutes, you may find your mental fatigue has vanished upon waking. A longer nap is likely to leave you slightly groggy but can have a longer benefit to brain power after the fact, according to a 2010 Australian study. In fact, MRI scans have shown that brain activity remains higher in nappers all day compared to people who don’t take a rest, according to a 2008 study.”

Strengthened Immune System

Our immune system is one of the hardest working systems in our body. Keeping our immune system functioning at full strength can have a profound impact on our general health and wellness. Scientific studies show that a little bit of napping can have stress-releasing and immune effects to help keep detrimental health consequences at bay.

Take Naps And Supplements For A Better Life

As you can see, napping has proven benefits for both mental and physical health. Your health and body will thank you for a little mid-day nap. There really isn’t an easier way to start living a healthier and more productive life than grabbing a couple of Zzz’s.

As beneficial as naps are, it isn’t a realistic task for a lot of our daily schedules. So when you can slip in some napping, keep improving your health by taking essential supplements such as collagen for healthy joints, essential vitamins, and nutrients to help balance your diet, and probiotics to support your immune system. Tag team your body with extra support between naps, when you can spare the time, and supplements that will feed your body, mood, and overall wellness.*

Your body is waiting! Start your wellness journey with Xyngular health and wellness supplements today. Buy Xyngular products by logging into your account or contacting your Xyngular Distributor today!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.