What Happens To Your Body When You Take A Nap? [Infographic]

Shane Dobbing https://www.sleepypeople.com 3m 861 #naptime

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Nap Time Is The Best Time

As any adult knows only too well among many other things, getting a good night’s sleep is vital in being productive at work.

There’s plenty of research to suggest this too and according to the National Sleep Foundation, the optimum way to be as rested and refreshed is to have 8 hours sleep each night.

However, we all know that this isn’t always possible. Whether you work difficult hours, have young children or just a hectic life, 8 hours often seems rather out of reach.

This isn’t just something which is affecting us individually but has become a massive financial issue for businesses.

CBS News Reported in 2016 that sleep deprived employees are currently costing US businesses billions of dollars each year because they aren’t able to work at their best.

We all have our own ways of combating sleepiness at work, some more successful than others.

Some of us prefer to turn to coffee and energy drinks because of their caffeine content, however, this can cause further issues over time. Read more about caffeine addiction in an earlier post on this site here.

Some of us prefer nothing more than a quick nap to reset and refresh in order to get back working hard.

However, depending on where you are in the world, this can either be seen as a sensible thing to do or interpreted as sheer laziness.

So, the big question is, are naps really worth it or are they just a sign of someone who is straight up lazy?

Well, thanks to a new infographic by sleepypeople.com we can finally answer this question once and for all.

‘What Happens To Your Body When You Take A Nap’ features lots of really interesting facts which may make you rethink your sleeping habits. Take a look for yourself below.

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What Happens to Your Body When You Take a Nap?

Having a nap often gets a bad reputation because it’s associated with laziness, but some of the most successful people in history, like Albert Einstein, were notorious nappers.

While the jury is still out on whether or not napping is actually a healthy pastime, your body does get up to some interesting things when you’re catching a few winks. To keep you in the know, here’s what happens to your body when you take a nap.

Your heart rate slows

When you’re napping, your heart rate slows right down. This is because your senses aren’t being stimulated as much as when you’re awake, your stress levels are lessened and your body has fewer needs. Have you ever noticed that your breathing slows as you’re falling asleep? That’s for the same reason!

Your body temperature drops

Your body’s thermoregulatory system – the part of your body that’s in charge of regulating temperature – lowers your body temperature as you’re drifting off to sleep. This is because you’re not using as much energy as usual, so your body doesn’t need internal heat.

Your stress and anxiety levels reduce

Stress and anxiety disorders have been linked to sleep deprivation because the part of your brain responsible for worrying is activated by not getting enough kip. When you nap, you’re calming your brain, resulting in reduced stress and anxiety.

You disconnect from your surroundings

As you’re about to drift off into the land of nod, your body changes its sensory input so that it blocks out your surroundings. This ensures that, for the most part, your brain doesn’t bother you with sensory interruptions when you’re snoozing.

Your blood pressure lowers

Sometimes we just can’t help but have a nap, but other times we’ll plan them in advance. Interestingly, the act of even anticipating a nap can calm us and lower our blood pressure as our heart rate slows. In fact, people who frequently nap are less likely to experience heart problems than those who don’t nap at all.

Your memory improves

The act of napping has been proven to improve your memory and information retention. Scientists believe that, after learning something new, having a nap can be beneficial for helping you remember that information. In a similar way, napping can help you to retain memories.

Your brain clears

When you’re napping, the space between your brain cells increases so that cerebrospinal fluid can flow through, clearing the brain of toxins. So, when you’re getting your shut eye, your brain is getting rid of all the bad stuff that builds up throughout the day.

Your food cravings are curbed

When we’re tired, our bodies seek out other energy sources, with the main culprit being food. When napping, we replenish our energy which helps to suppress those pesky food cravings.

Sources:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/128386-5-ways-your-body-changes-when-you-nap

https://www.powerofpositivity.com/things-happen-body-take-naps-every-day/

http://www.mensfitness.com/life/entertainment/20-reasons-you-should-take-nap

https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-naps-affect-your-brain-and-why-you-should-have-one-every-day

http://gawker.com/5741490/want-to-memorize-something-take-a-nap

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-napping-idUSKBN0M21VY20150306

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