Sleeping is our body’s way of recharging itself. Studies also show that naps also have great benefits and the results can almost be immediate. A sleep medicine researcher named Sara Mednick, Ph.D. at the University of California at San Diego says that a daily nap that’s between 20 and 90 minutes before 4:00 P.M can possibly increase your mental performance and might reduce your chances of gaining weight.

Most of us fear that naps can interfere with our good night’s sleep, but if you keep it between those few minutes, it won’t. There are also a lot of benefits that a good nap can do for you.

Boost Mind Sharpness & Alertness

Most of us really have that time of the day wherein even if we’ve had enough sleep the night before, we start to feel sluggish within the day because we feel sleepy. A power nap can boost the mind’s sharpness and alertness. Just like any other mobile phone or devices that just need charging when it’s running low on battery, our bodies are also like that. Once we’re feeling recharged, it can help us make better decisions and sound judgments. It can even ramp up your productivity and accuracy!

A brief nap can reduce the sleepy feeling that you have and also improve cognitive functioning and psychomotor performance. The benefits are similar to the feeling after consuming caffeine and other stimulant medications.

Lift Your Mood

Naps can help your brain produce serotonin. Thus, lifting your mood and making you feel better. Not to mention that it can trigger other naturally occurring hormones that block destructive chemicals that are produced by stress. When you’re in a good mood, it can boost your brain’s creative gears and you’ll be able to come with fresh ideas! It can also speed up your ability to perform motor tasks and boost your ability to learn something new. After your nap, it’s probably the best to do all the tasks that need a lot of thinking!

However, after waking up from a long nap, there are people who will feel more sleepy or groggy before experiencing the feeling of being refreshed and rejuvenated. It’s called sleep inertia which reflects the transition from sleeping state to awake state. This feeling only lasts up to 30 minutes.

Reduce Health Problems

Did you know that naps can also reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems? It can even help in regenerating your skin cells to make you look younger. Another perk is that it can help your metabolism by helping your body process carbohydrates and reduce the risk of diabetes. If it’s helping your metabolism, then it will aid in weight loss. Are you dependent on coffee in order to help you feel more awake? Naps can even reduce the need for caffeine and alcohol in order to manipulate your mood and energy levels.

Now that you know how important naps are in your daily routine, you might want to consider taking a short nap now!