Daytime sleep is good for health

Scientists have called daytime sleep one of the ways to prolong life and preserve cognitive abilities until old age. This is reported in a study published in the journal General Psychiatry.

Experts studied the sleep regime of more than 2 thousand healthy people aged 60 years and older.

Those 1,500 people who regularly slept during the day from 5 minutes to 2 hours showed better results on tests to determine dementia than the other 700. They were better oriented in space, their speech was more fluent, and their memory was strong.

In addition to reducing drowsiness, daytime sleep in some cases strengthens memory, increases learning ability, improves some body functions and has a beneficial effect on emotional stability, the researchers note. Nevertheless, in some cases, daytime sleep may be a symptom of dementia, and not its prevention, they add. So the "quiet hour" is not shown to everyone, and its advantages are related to the particular characteristics of people.

Thus, those who regularly slept during the day had higher levels of triglycerides. This gave scientists reason to believe that the desire to sleep during the day was associated with some risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. One of the theories underlying the study is that sleep regulates the body's immune response, being an evolved response to inflammation. That is why people who have active inflammatory processes in their body sleep more.

The quality of sleep really affects cognitive abilities. But if a person gets enough sleep at night and at the same time sleeps well, he does not have to sleep extra during the day.

If a person sleeps poorly at night and does not feel rested in the morning or does not sleep enough at all, then it will be useful to take a nap during the day.

It is advisable to sleep during the day until 16.00, since after this time it is hard to wake up — it starts to get dark, melatonin is produced in the body, which is why, waking up, you can feel overwhelmed.

At the same time, it is enough to sleep for an hour and a half, during this time a full sleep cycle takes place (of two phases — deep and shallow sleep). Sleeping longer during the day makes sense only if you haven't slept half the night.

During daytime sleep, cerebrospinal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, is produced, which washes the brain, bringing it moisture, nutrients and neurotransmitters, including serotonin. During the first 20 minutes of daytime sleep, mood and energy levels increase. He does not advise sleeping for more than half an hour: after 30 minutes, a deep phase of sleep begins, all processes slow down, parasympathetic is activated, as a result of which the body relaxes. It will take at least two hours to reactivate it. — As a result, instead of a surge of strength, you may feel overwhelmed and depressed.

Many people after a nap can feel even more broken, complain of pain in the head and neck, can't tune in to work, and at night — fall asleep.

Too long daytime sleep - more than an hour — as well as lack of sleep, can slow down the reaction to a state resembling heavy alcohol intoxication, as well as increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

If you constantly need a long rest during the day, this is probably the reason to consult a doctor. If you feel that you did not get enough sleep at night and you have the opportunity to take a nap during the day - it is advisable that your sleep does not last more than 30 minutes. During this time, you will not have time to move from a state of superficial sleep to a deeper sleep and will be able to wake up quite easily.

Children need more time to sleep than adults, so they are often given a quiet hour. There are also people who need daytime sleep due to their work schedule: at night they are awake, and during the day they sleep. "In general, such a sleep regime can compensate for the lack of sleep during the day, the body will also recover, but still it is worth understanding that such a regime is not natural for our body.

For daytime sleep, he advises creating the illusion of darkness: use a sleep mask or blackout curtains. "It is better to ventilate the room, and in order to wake up as comfortable as possible, you can drink a cup of strong tea or coffee before going to bed. Caffeine will take effect in 20-25 minutes, and it will be easier to wake up.

Some politicians, due to their busy schedules, often use this knowledge to make up for the lack of a night's sleep. So, Margaret Thatcher was famous for the fact that during her term as Prime Minister of Great Britain she slept only four hours a day. President Donald Trump is also known for sleeping 3-4 hours a day. Barack Obama, according to him, gets enough sleep in six hours.

Last week, the media reported that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson turned out to be a fan of taking a nap for half an hour during the working day. However, his press secretary denied this information.

Winston Churchill, as you know, slept for 4-5 hours at night, and during the day he fell asleep for the missing 90 minutes.

Awareness of the benefits of daytime sleep leads to the fact that some companies have beds and sleep capsules. For example, Google and many other IT companies in Silicon Valley have had similar capsules for employees for 10 years, who sometimes have to stay at work until late at night and at night.

Author: Eliza Gilmourd

10.03.2021