A nap - healthy or not?
Who does not know that - around lunchtime or in the early afternoon, fatigue often appears. The cause of this midday or performance low is the human biorhythm, so the internal clock. With age, the need for a nap increases, which is also called biphasic biorhythms of old age, which means as much as a night nap and a nap.
But even younger people would certainly do such a nap well, because in the time between 12 and 14 clock (or 13 and 15 clock during the summer!) The performance of the body decreases greatly, thereby lowering the body temperature and blood pressure, which the brain becomes sluggish? This is also called "Leistungsknick". The body then needs new energy? best of all by a nap, but that can not always be realized in the vast majority of cases.
Anyone who has been on holiday in southern countries, such as Italy, Spain or Greece, also knows that it is customary that at noon, even when the heat is highest, most locals become one ?Siesta? withdraw.
In the USA, there are already numerous studies and in various larger companies, therefore, in the last few years, relaxation rooms have been set up for employees, where they can take a quick nap. This is called Power napping? (power = force or energy and napping = slumber), ie a sleep, to build up new energy.
Even in China, there is something like that in big companies, it says ? Xiu-Xi?, and in Japan z. For example, in electronics groups, where you have to work very concentrated, the short nap is even required as a duty.
The right sleep duration
Numerous studies in the field of sleep research have shown that the optimal duration for a midday nap is 10 to a maximum of 30 minutes. During this period, the circulation can be shut down, muscles are relaxed, the immune system is regenerated, the body can repair damaged cells and store what has been learned. The performance can be increased by up to 35 percent. A nap should even reduce the risk of heart disease by 30 percent!
However, if you sleep too long, you can fall into a deep sleep and achieve the opposite. One is then usually drowsy and needs a longer time to be fully effective again. Therefore, it is better to set the alarm clock!
Even if you can not sleep well during the day or sleep, then half asleep should be enough to suppress fatigue and improve your performance.
The risks of lunch
Actually, a nap is good for everyone, but there are exceptions. For example, if you suffer from depression or sleep problems, you should ask your doctor if it is recommended for him!
It should also be an advantage if the nap takes place irregularly and not every day at the same time.
Especially older people are advised not to prolong the afternoon nap too much. The total duration should be no more than three hours per week, as otherwise an earlier risk of death could arise.
So anyone who has the opportunity to sleep or rest irregularly during the day and not too long, will do everything right and can take advantage of a nap!
