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[New] research raises the prospect that sleep, specifically a lengthy afternoon nap, prepares the brain to remember things.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100254547

[The study] provides more evidence that humans may not be biologically engineered to sleep one long stretch at night and stay awake all day, Walker says.  Instead, our natural rhythm may be to sleep fewer hours at night and take a long afternoon nap each day, as many people continue to do in “siesta cultures” and in societies with little electricity, Walker points out.

“We’ve all had that experience of being in meetings after lunch with people who are clearly drifting off,” he says.  “It’s not their fault.  It’s their biology!”

http://news.health.com/2010/02/21/afternoon-naps/2/

Many experts advise to keep the nap between 15 and 30 minutes, as sleeping longer gets you into deeper stages of sleep, from which it’s more difficult to awaken.  Also, longer naps can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night, especially if your sleep deficit is relatively small.  However, research has shown that a 1-hour nap has many more restorative effects than a 30-minute nap, including a much greater improvement in cognitive functioning.  The key to taking a longer nap is to get a sense of how long your sleep cycles are, and try to awaken at the end of a sleep cycle.  (It’s actually more the interruption of the sleep cycle that makes you groggy, rather than the deeper states of sleep.)

As there are pros and cons to each length of sleep, you may want to let your schedule decide: if you only have 15 minutes to spare, take them!  But if you could work in an hour nap, you may do well to complete a whole sleep cycle, even if it means less sleep at night.  If you only have 5 minutes to spare, just close your eyes; even a brief rest has the benefit of reducing stress and helping you relax a little, which can give you more energy to complete the tasks of your day.

http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/powernap.htm

Bwahaha! Bantog rang naay brayt kaayong insultadora! 

Tips For a More Effective Nap

If you want to obtain more sleep, and the health benefits that go with getting enough sleep, here are some tips for more effective napping and sleep at night:

•   Avoid caffeine after 3pm. It’s a stimulant that can disrupt your sleep and stay in your system  
   longer than you think; its half-life is four to six hours!
•   If you don’t want to nap a long time, set an alarm.
•   If you don’t have time for a power nap, or don’t feel comfortable napping during the day, try
   meditation; it gives your body a rest and produces slower brain waves similar to sleep.

http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/powernap.htm

eat your hearts out, hubag, bugsay and vhinz!

hala, initi pa ninyo akong naps, hehe.

Quote from: hubag bohol on October 25, 2010, 07:00:24 PM
Bwahaha! Bantog rang naay brayt kaayong insultadora! 

anoh bah itoh?   di ko brayt kay wa ko kahibawo nga manginsulto diay koh.  mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

botoya ka ron...     

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL. There is ample evidence that strokes and heart attacks occur more frequently during the morning. It is believed that this is because the process of waking up causes hormonal changes and changes in blood pressure and heart rate which can all be detrimental to heart function. Now researchers at the Hadassah University Hospital report that waking up from an afternoon nap (siesta) may have similar effects. Their study involved 455 70-year-old residents of Jerusalem. The researchers found that the mortality over a 6.5-year period was almost twice as high (20 per cent vs. 11 per cent) among study participants who usually had a siesta as among those who did not. The difference was particularly noticeable among participants who died from cardiovascular events. Among the siesta takers 9 per cent died during the observation period as compared to 4 per cent among those who took no siesta. This correlation held true even when adjusting for previous heart attacks, blood pressure, physical exercise level, duration of night sleep, smoking status, cholesterol level, and the presence of cerebrovascular disease. The researchers conclude that people who regularly take an afternoon nap have a higher mortality rate than people who do not.

Bursztyn, Michael, et al. The siesta in the elderly: risk factor for mortality? Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 159, July 26, 1999, pp. 1582-86

http://www.yourhealthbase.com/database/a95c.htm

As a researcher, I have reported on the benefits of napping for cognition, showing that naps can enhance visual, motor and spatial skills to the same extent as a full night of sleep in some cases.  But a resolution to the question of nap's health benefits has been long awaited.

Recently, this question was addressed by an epidemiological study from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Athens Medical School on over 23,000 Greek adults, which appears in Archives of Internal Medicine.  The researchers followed subjects over six years and measured their diet, physical activity and whether they napped (1) never, (2) occasionally (once or twice a week, for less than 30 minutes, and usually on weekends), or (3) frequently (three or more times a week, for 30 minutes or more).  They found that occasional napping decreased a person's risk for coronary heart disease by 12 percent, but that regular napping decreased risk by a whopping 37 percent.

Inspired by the observation that siesta cultures have decreased rates of heart disease, previous studies investigating this relationship found mixed results.  For example, a Costa Rican study examined about 1,000 people and reported that frequent napping increased the risk of heart disease.

The power of the present study is its sheer magnitude, which allowed the researchers to perform the correct controls, such as excluding people with pre-existing illnesses. In studies of sleep, it is essential to avoid confounding the question of whether sleep makes you healthy with the fact that unhealthy people need more sleep. The Greek study appropriately examined healthy adults and found that frequent siestas may be a secret ounce of prevention â€" a thinly veiled apple a day.

Sara Mednick, Nap time: How a little sleep can change your life, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 22, 2007


http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070222/news_lz1e22mednick.html

If you always feel the need for a nap, think about your nightly sleep schedule. Are you down to only five or six hours? While a 20-minute nap is a good refresher, it will not make up for hours lost at night. Conversely, if you're getting eight hours of sleep each night yet still feel the need to nap, that might be the sign of a sleep disorder, or another health problem, so check with your physician or check out the National Sleep Foundation or the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for more sleep resources.

http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/21/seven-secrets-to-a-great-nap.html

also from the same source:

Naptime is not just for kindergarteners. A whole body of research shows that a midday snooze can increase productivity and alertness in the workplace. Naps can often be the perfect weapons to combat midafternoon sluggishness, which tends to hit between 2 and 5 p.m.

http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/21/seven-secrets-to-a-great-nap.html

In conclusion to the research war, if you feel sleepy after lunch, then sleep, but if you don't, don't force yourself to take a nap just because a research says so.

The Book of Proverbs has something to say: "He who loves to sleep loves poverty." I think more than 8 hours of night rest is too long already.

Quote from: U.S. of America on October 26, 2010, 12:34:35 AM
In conclusion to the research war, if you feel sleepy after lunch, then sleep, but if you don't, don't force yourself to take a nap just because a research says so.

The Book of Proverbs has something to say: "He who loves to sleep loves poverty." I think more than 8 hours of night rest is too long already.

thanks for you solomonic judgment, u.s. of a.  all is fair in love and war, whether it's through research or through bullets.  now at least i can say that i can nap in peace.

Quote from: islander on October 26, 2010, 10:04:20 AM
thanks for you solomonic judgment, u.s. of a.  all is fair in love and war, whether it's through research or through bullets.  now at least i can say that i can nap in peace.

The way I see it, Ms. Isle, your nap is optional but your "nap" is mandatory. Bwahaha! 

There were times I slept at 10 or 11 in the morning and had lunch at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I sleep when my body is demanding sleep. If my body does not want sleep, then I stay awake all night long.

Quote from: hubag bohol on October 26, 2010, 10:16:32 AM
The way I see it, Ms. Isle, your nap is optional but your "nap" is mandatory. Bwahaha! 

the way i see it, bai hubag, your nappy is urgent because of incontinence.  hahaha! 

Quote from: U.S. of America on October 26, 2010, 10:30:54 AM
There were times I slept at 10 or 11 in the morning and had lunch at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I sleep when my body is demanding sleep. If my body does not want sleep, then I stay awake all night long.

congratulations, kindred spirit!   

(the banana republic though does not like my sleep schedule.  i feel guilty at times because he ends up preparing breakfast before he goes to work.  as a housewife i feel remiss, and incompetent.   lately he found a trick to wake me up without tears.  he releases three cats from their room.  they go straight to our bed to play and "attack" me.  what else is there to do but wake up?)