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Daytime sleep is considered to be a luxury – few people can afford to sleep in the middle of the day. But taking a break is very useful: a ten to twenty-minute siesta after lunch enhances attention and creativity, normalizes blood pressure, strengthens willpower and increases efficiency.
Especially if you don’t get enough sleep at night. “In this case, extra sleep during the day will bring even more benefits,” says American coach, motivation and performance researcher Tony Schwartz. Most sleep experts recommend no more than 10-20 minutes of sleep during the day – a longer rest can lead to the so-called “sleep hangover”, which is quite difficult to get out of. While a short (15-20-minute) sleep can work wonders.
1. Improves memory
In one experiment, participants first slept for 10, 20, or 30 minutes during the day, and then took memory and active attention tests over the next two and a half hours. The best results were shown by those who napped for 10 or 20 minutes, and those who slept for more than twenty minutes suffered from a pronounced “sleep hangover”.
2. Normalizes high blood pressure
A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that the habit of taking a siesta normalizes high blood pressure and reduces the risk of death from heart disease by 37%.
3. Strengthens the nervous system
In a Berkeley study, participants were shown photos of faces with expressions of rage, fear, or happiness twice a day—in the afternoon and after XNUMX p.m. An hour-and-a-half nap immediately after lunch had a clearly calming effect – after it, the participants reacted much less when they saw hatred and fear in the photographs than when they did not sleep during the day.
4. Increases concentration
A NASA study of military pilots and astronauts found that a 34-minute daytime nap improved their performance by 100% and concentration by XNUMX%. Even if you’re not the captain of a spaceship, sleep experts recommend taking a short nap before getting behind the wheel – a siesta will increase alertness and reduce the chances of getting into a car accident due to absent-mindedness, fatigue, and drowsiness.
5. Stimulates creativity
“We have noticed that after a short sleep, creativity increases, the cognitive process (the process of cognition) goes faster and better, memory improves. In general, sleep helps clear the brain of unnecessary cobwebs, ”say James Maas and Rebecca Robbins (James Maas, Rebecca Robbins), founders of the Sleep Leads to Success Foundation.
6. Strengthens willpower
We have a harder time coping with tasks if we are tired – willpower usually peaks in the morning and gradually weakens in the evening. Sleep deprivation makes it harder for the brain to ignore distractions and control impulses, according to Psychology Today experts. A short “sleep-power” in the middle of the day can direct the process in the opposite direction – willpower will get stronger by the evening, and at the same time stress will decrease, mood will improve and efficiency will be restored.
7. Perfect substitute for coffee
Although prolonged, more than 20 minutes, sleep leads to a “sleep hangover”, at the same time it includes a very useful dream stage (or REM stage), due to which our ability to learn, assimilate new information, increases. In one experiment, sleep scientist Sara Mednick and her team compared the effects of caffeine intake (200 mg) and daytime sleep (60-90 minutes) on several types of memory, including verbal-logical and motor. It turned out that siesta improved memory performance, while coffee, on the contrary, worsened or, in other cases, did not bring any harm or improvement.
If you can’t sleep during the day
Yes, there are many benefits to napping, but not all of us can easily fall asleep in the middle of the day. If you are one of those people, even resting with your eyes open or meditation can do wonders. Simple breathing exercises—like breathing slowly or inhaling and exhaling for a count (inhale for 3 counts, exhale for 6, repeat)—will help you de-stress and recover.
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