Madeeha Syed

Cats sleep for most their life. While, we don’t need — or can afford — to sleep as much a s a cat, taking a quick snooze here and there can have a very positive impact on your energy and overall health. But if you nap for too long and it can have detrimental effect on you. Here’s everything you need to know about power naps

The Power of Cat Naps

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Cat naps or power naps help you stay active throughout the day. Besides offering instant rest, napping reduces insomnia and relieves stress.

The Power Of Cat Naps

Overview

<p>Unlike cats who can sleep anytime and anywhere, we humans have a set sleeping schedule. We try to maximize our sleeping hours at night so we can have the energy reserves we need for the day. But sometimes, it&rsquo;s not possible to get all the sleep you need at night.&nbsp;<br />
Cat naps or power naps are short naps, lasting between 15-20 minutes, taken very quickly on the fly to recharge and boost our energy levels for the day. If timed properly, cat naps can be a game changer.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

Benefits of a quick snooze

<p>Below are the benefits and some helpful tips for taking a good nap:<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<h5><strong>Benefits Of Getting A Quick Snooze:</strong></h5>

<p dir="ltr">Our bodies and minds both benefit from short naps. They are especially beneficial if one isn&rsquo;t getting enough <a href="https://merisehat.pk/article/cant-go-to-sleep-heres-why-and-how-to-fix-it-5895">hours of sleep</a> at night.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">It is recommended that we get at least seven to eight hours of sleep at night. But that&rsquo;s not possible for everyone. Getting less than the required amount of sleep results in feelings of tiredness and fatigue during the day.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">One way to make up for the short fall: power naps. The most recent scientific studies show that short naps enhance learning, assisting us in better remembering crucial knowledge and in &lsquo;cleaning up&rsquo; any brain fog. Additionally, it improves overall performance by lowering stress and fostering creativity. It makes sense that large corporations such as Google, Nike, and even NASA encourage their staff to take short naps.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<h5><strong>Consolidates Learning And Memory</strong></h5>

<p dir="ltr">It&rsquo;s a good idea to take a quick nap after studying if you need to retain what you learned.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Researchers at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore compared cramming versus napping to see which improved students&rsquo; retention of newly taught material. For the consolidation of short-term memory, both methods worked well. However, a week later, the students who rested right after learning the subject still remembered it in contrast to the ones who crammed. The same advantages were identified for younger learners as well.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<h5><strong>Increased Alertness</strong></h5>

<p>After lunch, if you start to feel the onset of mental fog, take a quick snooze to wake up and clear your head.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Researchers examining the impact of napping on 13 male athletes following a karate training session found that a 30-minute snooze might boost the athletes&rsquo; alertness and enhance their cognitive abilities.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<h5><strong>What To Do When Taking A Power Nap</strong></h5>

<ul>
	<li>Keep naps short. Longer naps could interfere with your nighttime sleep and result in other health issues. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping naps to 20 minutes or less.</li>
	<li>Aim for late morning or early afternoon. If you fall asleep too soon before going to sleep, you can wake up in the early hours staring at the ceiling.</li>
	<li>Try to avoid taking naps after 2pm-3.30pm.</li>
	<li>Regularly plan your naps. If you work in shifts, having a quick nap before you report to work each day may help you stay attentive throughout your shift.</li>
	<li>Keep your space calm, cool, and dark. You might sleep more quickly in a dimly lit napping space. Additionally, eye coverings can aid in light opacity. Use a white noise app to block out distracting noises.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h5><strong>What Not To Do</strong></h5>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Limit your sleep time. Long naps can make it difficult to get a decent night&#39;s sleep.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Preschoolers shouldn&#39;t have naps interfere with their nocturnal sleep. Young children require a restful night&#39;s sleep to operate well during the day, according to research from 2011. Daytime naps that result in later bedtimes might jumble sleep cycles and harm cognitive function.<br />
	&nbsp;</p>
	</li>
</ul>

Bottom Line

<p>Short mid-day naps can help you retain information better, stay alert and focused, perform better physically and cognitively and improve your mood.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">It&rsquo;s crucial to take them early in the day to avoid disrupting your nightly sleep schedule. Additionally, it&rsquo;s a good idea to keep them brief &mdash; ideally, no longer than 30 minutes. Longer naps increase the risk of several medical disorders and sleep inertia.<br />
It&rsquo;s a good idea to follow up with your healthcare practitioner if you feel that you tend to feel sleepy during the day and short naps don&rsquo;t seem to help. They can assist in figuring out whether the unending drowsiness is due to underlying health conditions.</p>