Adults: Physician Points Out These Surprising Health Benefits Of Taking An Afternoon Nap

It’s easy to confuse napping with laziness, but the two concepts just don’t belong in the same sentence. In fact, a well-crafted afternoon nap can bolster your health and happiness faster than you might imagine.

The benefits of napping reach far and wide, so the next time someone tells you that your napping habit is a sign of laziness, you can retort, “Science says it’s an integral part of my day.”

A public health physician in Lagos, Dr. Adebola Adejimi has urged Nigerians to create time for a short nap in the afternoon to boost their physical and mental health.

In an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, the physician expressed concerns that unlike children who enjoy a siesta, adults allow their official work to overwhelm them with little or no time for rest. She said:

“The activities we have as adults is just too much to overwhelm us and people don’t have time to do that. Physical activities and rest are two things that can help our health and mental state, especially among adults and children.

“However when sleep becomes too much, it begins to look like a disease. As an adult, it is not good to sleep for too long too.” 

Adejimi canvassed that people should have a good sleep of about five to six hours on the average every day.

“Nothing less than that. Some people even push it up to eight hours depending on the age. Some prefer a short nap in the evening which is not bad. Unfortunately, our official work activities don’t allow us. That’s just the truth.

“When people are leaving their workplace at 4.00 pm, they may not even get home until 6.00 pm or 8.00 pm. They then eat dinner, watch television and go to bed. When will they get the time to have a nap in the midst of all these?,”

She queried.

The expert also addressed one’s fear of the likelihood that people may misconstrue afternoon nap for signs of health challenges, saying there could be several factors contributing to people sleeping involuntarily. She added:

“Some people don’t even get to sleep comfortably at night. It is during the day that you get to see them sleep. There could be a defect in that range too that need to be explained since it is voluntary to sleep.

“But when it becomes involuntary and you cannot control your sleep again, it means there may be other problems that need to be looked at.”

The physician was reacting to a report published on an American medical site, WebMD which canvassed that napping should not just be for babies alone.

READ ALSO: How Afternoon Naps Can Help Your Child’s Learning

The article stated that studies have shown that an afternoon nap is great for adults, adding that there was no need for anyone to feel lazy for indulging in daytime sleep. It read in part:

“A short nap in the mid-afternoon can boost memory, improve job performance, lift your mood, make you more alert, and ease stress. Cosy up to these nap benefits.

“A nap as short as 10 minutes can be beneficial, but keep your nap to 30 minutes or less so you don’t wake up feeling more tired. If you’re feeling tired but have work or studying to get done, you may be better off taking a nap than sipping a coffee. Compared to caffeine, napping can bring better memory and learning.”

The publication also warned that people are better off preparing with a nap ahead of time if they are sure they cannot get much sleep for a night or two (due to travel) than powering through with caffeine. It stated:

SEE ALSO: New Study Reveals The Effect Of ‘Sleeping On It’ On Decision-Making

“The longer the nap, the better. If you have to resort to caffeine, drinking small amounts often is better than one large cup of joe. A nap can even help your ticker. A study found that people who napped for 45 to 60 minutes had lower blood pressure after going through mental stress.

“Many preschool-age children stop napping long before they enter kindergarten. Fact is, naps are critical for learning and development at that age. Children who nap regularly are better able to recall things they learned.

“Since short-term memory stores are limited at that age, younger kids need more frequent sleep. It’s an important part of how the brain hangs on to memories.”