|
The
Virtues of Napping
Strengthen Your Immune System
Many people in Latin American and Mediterranean countries couldn't
do without their afternoon siesta, typically a three- hour break
during which workers may go home to eat, sleep and relax. But in
some Western countries, where people are very work-driven, pausing
to refresh yourself has decidedly negative connotations. Adults
are expected to work all day - and not take time off to nap.
 |
So, although legions of people would love to succumb to a quick,
restorative nap - and would probably benefit from it - they resist
because they fear being seen as lazy. Not that they always succeed
in abstaining: polls show that 60 per cent of adults slip in a nap
at least once a week - at their desks, on public transport or while
watching TV.
Why it's natural to nap
The reason is simple: we all have a built-in physiological desire
for a nap in the afternoon. How do we know this? When researchers
asked volunteers to spend time in an underground room with no clocks
or clues as to day or night and told them to sleep whenever they
wanted, the subjects slept in two cycles: a longer session at night
and a shorter period - a nap - during the day.
Fortunately, we are starting to see through the myth that napping
is a waste of time, thanks to well-documented studies showing that
short snoozes can improve mood, performance and health. For example,
nap-loving Latin Americans and Europeans usually score better on
tests that measure stress than more work-driven nations. What's
more, studies done at the University of California show that the
sooner you can recover from modest sleep losses, the faster your
immune response is restored to normal. And what quicker way is there
to make up for a night of little sleep than with a nap the next
day?
Corporate bodies wake up
Several US studies have found that short naps increase concentration
and counteract stress, another immune-system depressor. That may
explain why people who nap are not only more productive at work,
they are absent less often. Ever since NASA scientist Mark Rosekind,
Ph.D., completed studies showing that pilots who take 40-minute
sleep breaks on long flights do better on vigilance, alertness and
decision-making tests, several European airlines now require their
pilots to take time out for a midflight snooze.
Naps can also improve health and most other aspects of life for
those whose work schedules require them to be awake for night shifts
or rotating shifts. Due to a preset morning waking mechanism in
the body's internal clock, many shift workers find it hard to sleep
past noon, even after an overnight shift. By supplementing their
morning sleep with a 15- to 20-minute nap before leaving for work,
they can minimise their level of sleep deprivation.
|
