{"id":28248,"date":"2020-04-13T07:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restonic.com\/sin-categorizar\/nap-like-champion-improve-mood-98745"},"modified":"2022-11-18T16:40:40","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T21:40:40","slug":"nap-like-champion-improve-mood-98745","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restonic.com\/es\/blog-es\/nap-like-champion-improve-mood-98745","title":{"rendered":"Running on Empty? Nap Like a Champion to Improve Your Mood, Boost Your Memory & Rock Your Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Move over toddlers \u2013 grownups have discovered the perks of the afternoon snooze!<\/h2>\n

Remember how in kindergarten you\u2019d have to lie down on the floor and nap even though you didn\u2019t want to? It didn\u2019t seem like a good thing back then, but as an adult, you may find a napping habit has a positive health impact on body and soul.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not sure napping is something you need to adopt, consider the throngs of professional athletes who have proudly revealed their loyalty to naps, from the NBA\u2019s LeBron James<\/a> to Wimbledon tennis champ Andy Murray.<\/p>\n

Many celebrities<\/a> have embraced the habit, too, including: John Legend, Lena Dunham, Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, James Franco and supermodel Heidi Klum. Even corporations like Ben & Jerry\u2019s, Google and Uber provide dedicated sleep spaces in their headquarters.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s this nap craze all about?<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a growing body of scientific research that confirms what some people already know. Naps are good for you \u2013 really good. Dr. Robert S. Rosenberg<\/a> is a nap advocate, too. He\u2019s a board certified sleep physician and author of The Doctor\u2019s Guide to Sleep Solutions for Stress & Anxiety<\/em>, based in Prescott Valley, AZ.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a 10-minute nap<\/a> can increase your alertness for 2 to 3 hours,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s an effective way to recover from a poor night\u2019s sleep and it will help improve your memory, your mood and even decrease the incidence of heart disease and diabetes, especially for short power nappers.\u201d<\/p>\n

If for some reason, you\u2019ve gone a whole night without sleep (perhaps you\u2019ve binge watched<\/a> Breaking Bad<\/em> again) you might need a longer nap \u2013 1 to 2 hours \u2013 in order to get the adequate rest that allows you to function reasonably well.<\/p>\n

Your mind and body will thank you for that daytime sleep, and so will your employer coincidentally. Data published in the Journal of Sleep Research\u00a0found that naps improve performance<\/a>, along with reaction time and logical reasoning.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re trying to learn a new skill \u2013 on or off the job, you can recharge with a short afternoon sleep. University of California, Berkeley<\/a>, tested participants of a study after snoozing for 90 minutes. They scored better on tests requiring associative memory skills \u2013 the ability to learn \u2013 than those in the non-napping group.<\/p>\n

Scientists have also been taking a closer look at a nap\u2019s impact on mood and emotional regulation. A University of Michigan<\/a> doctoral student found that people were less impulsive and had a higher tolerance for frustration \u2013 moms with young ones at home, that last tidbit is for you \u2013 after a 60-minute nap. That may be due to its ability to help the hippocampus (the part of the brain associated with memory, emotions and motivation) function more effectively.<\/p>\n

Want to be a highly effective napper? Here\u2019s how!<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re not among the 34% of Americans who nap on any given day, according to a Pew Research Center<\/a> report, and you would like to be, here are some top tips from Dr. Rosenberg on how to have the ideal midday snooze:<\/p>\n