All month, we have been talking about the value of sleep to our health and well-being.  Though our focus has been on getting a good night’s rest, taking a nap has advantages too! 

As infants and toddlers, taking a nap was normal and encouraged.  As adults, peer pressure and guilt make us ignore the urge to nap when we probably could use one.

Most of us don’t get enough sleep, so an afternoon nap can be a good addition to your healthy lifestyle. At least that is what the research is showing.  Most of us don’t need much more encouragement than that….but if you do….How about these reasons?

1.       Napping is better than caffeine.  A nap is more effective than that afternoon cup of coffee in three areas: verbal memory, motor skills, and perceptual learning.  Basically, you will perform better and get more done with a short nap.

2.      Napping may help you lose weight.  Cortisol, our “stress hormone” increases when we are stressed.  The extra cortisol in our blood stream increases our glucose tolerance which plays a role in weight gain.  When we take a nap, cortisol is actually decreased so you have less of that fat storing hormone in your body.

3.      Napping can help reduce mindless food cravings. When we are operating sleep deprived, “hunger hormones”, ghrelin and leptin, get out of whack. Ghrelin triggers appetite and leptin tells your body it has enough food. Lack of sleep leads to an increase in ghrelin and a decrease in leptin – a recipe for overeating and over time, weight gain.  A 20-30 minutes nap can restore the balance of ghrelin and leptin.

4.      Napping can reduce stress. Research shows that a nap helps lower blood pressure quicker after a stressful event. If you have a stressful week ahead, schedule in a nap or two!

5..      Cat naps count too.  By now, the idea of a nap might be pretty appealing, but fitting in 20-30 minutes maybe be out of the question. Don’t despair.  Even a short 6 minute snooze can make a difference. 

So find a quiet corner, chair, couch, or bed, close your eyes and catch a couple zzzzzzs