An afternoon nap can make you smarter

The older I get, the more I like naps. The trouble is, most jobs don't let you have one.

It certainly is ok to take naps. My colleagues have been napping during lunch time long before the recent study. They nap not for the reasons of good health but to "pay" back the sleep debt. I do not have the courage to try as from experience during weekends, a nap never does me any good. I get the cranky feeling of being sleep deprived.

I don't know about being made smarter, but if I do get a chance for a nap in the afternoon, I certainly feel fresher and can get back to my work feeling more invigorated. I guess that would make my brain more alert too. Most days however, although I feel sleepy, I never feel I can spare the time.. _Derek

Hello estherlou. I have the habit of taking a nap after lunch, especially during working weeks. A nap is very important for me to be energetic for my afternoon work. But when it is weekend, I seldom take a nap. If I take a nap on weekend, I sleep for an hour or more.

I have conducted own personal study and have decided that taking a nap in the afternoon actually makes me worse off than I would be when I do not take one. Every time I go to sleep, it takes me a while to get my brain back in gear when I wake up. Thus that is even more time wasted for me. I know people who take regular naps that are not as intelligent than those who do not as well. As for the heart attack thing, well I have no idea there. That might be true. Of course, that could be another thing that varies from person to person. Still it is a very interesting study, regardless of how not true it is for me personally. I could be in the minority. Of course one could say that I may be in the minority with a lot of things in life but there you go.

hi estherlou. this is real great. its one good excuse for a nap. thank you so much for sharing!!!

Wow, this is really interesting. Does it have to be between the hours of 1 and 3 ? What if you take a nap at 5 ? Will you be as smart ?

As far as I am concerned, I think it is true for us to have a nap just after a long time hard work, which will make us be full of energy .What i smore, you will just feel you are smarter again,that is you just have a quick thinking about things. have a nice day.

that is very true. it is true that taking naps is good for you. it good for the mind and the body. it is a great way to make you more intelegent.

Is it? There were many articles and even proverbs stating sleeping at afternoon is not good for health. This is really interesting. I always wish to take a small nap when i am at home. I feel much better and fresh. Thanks for sharing. Thats a good news!

Realy!? That`s great :D i`m begging to sleep every day in the afternoon :D

yeah that's true.. :)

I also often take a nap, and it's very helping my brain after get up sometime after take rest I do it!

Excellent, I always sleep during 1-3pm nice. I need that energy so i can post more discussion and respond to people here mylot. Thanks for the information dude, Btw What was your age? and What if I overslept? lets say i fell asleep at 1:00 pm and I woke up at 6:00pm can i still gain a boost?

I ususally get one earlier than that but I do try to get one. DIdnt stop my hert form attacking!

Great! Hurrah! Thank You for the link...now the guilt is gone. I have been taking my naps at the correct time, in the correct surrounding and in the correct recliner position.

I wasn't aware that researchers actually studied this and found that it was beneficial. It's kind of neat when I think about it. It's really interesting. Well, it's certainly something to consider doing, when we have time and such.

Unfortunately, I have class then. :P I am always tired then, though... I guess it would kind of make sense. I try to take a walk before class... I like to try to get my blood flowing so I feel more awake.

When I moved here to Argentina from the U.S. a few years back, I had absolutely no problem at all adjusting to the siesta time! Virtually everything here closes down between 1 and 5pm (more or less)...at least outside Buenos Aires proper. In my neighborhood, everything is closed. Everything. People go home, have lunch and take a nap. Quite honestly, I'd never go back to a non-siesta type lifestyle. The study you cited give credibility to the importance of afternoon naps. I just makes sense. I bet if siesta was incorporated into more country's way of life, crime rates, work absences and the like would drastically reduce.

Hello estherlou, Interesting findings, thank you for sharing. I have no comment but "hahaha I'm a living example". Taking a nap can really recharge and boost one's mental level up a notch. For those all nighther, make sure to take afternoon naps. It'll be worth your 30 minutes.