Perks Of A Quick Afternoon Nap And The Negative Effects Of Taking A Long Nap Explained By Dr Kausthub Desikachar

Are you feeling guilty concerning your afternoon nap? Don’t be. Napping isn’t good just for babies but great for adults too. But folks, hold your attention, that the length of your nap matters. In this article, Dr Kausthub Desikachar talks about the perks of a quick afternoon nap and the negative effects of taking a long nap.

Most of us undoubtedly must have encountered the feeling of baffling drowsiness through the mid-afternoon 🙂 Dr Kausthub Desikachar says it’s normal and occurs whether you’ve consumed a heavy lunch or not. Well, it is stimulated by a natural dip in alertness that transpires from about 1 PM to 3 PM. Thus, if you spot yourself battling off sleepiness in the heart of the day and if you’re in a place where you can have a nap, then you must take a short nap.

Perks Of A Quick Afternoon Nap

A quick nap in the mid-afternoon brings enormous benefits to our physical, emotional and mental well-being. 

1. Heightens memory
2. Ameliorates cognitive potentials
3. Activates components of your brain correlated with imagery and creativity.
4. Enhances the performance at work
5. Elevates your mood
6. Reduces fatigue
7. Makes you mindful and alert
8. Alleviates stress
9. Better sleep in the night
   
   

3 Tips For The Best Quick Nap

To reap the most out of a quick nap, Dr Kausthub Desikachar recommends following these simple tips:

1. Set Your Mind Only For A Short Nap 

Strive to nap barely for 20 minutes. The longer you nap, the more you are inclined to feel groggy afterwards. We don’t want that, as that will spoil the purpose and the benefits of a nap and could make the rest of your day worse. 

2. Intend To Nap Early Afternoon

Studies show that the best time to take a nap is between 1 PM to 

3 PM. Napping after 3 PM could intervene with your night time’s sleep schedule. 

 
3. Create A Nap-Friendly Environment
They say a short nap is better than consuming caffeine to stay alert and get creative at work. Hence, it is vital to keep the spot in which you nap a quiet, dark place with a comfortable room temperature and with lesser disturbances. However, a mid-afternoon nap isn’t elective for everyone as employment, and other obligations can make napping impracticable. Workers can probably put their heads down on the desks for 10 to 20 minutes to feel refreshed. 

The Negative Effects Of Taking A Long Nap

The duration of your nap can circumscribe whether the effects are positive or negative. Dr Kausthub Desikachar states that a mid-afternoon nap is absolutely harmless, but it could create health risks if you nap for more than 30 minutes in duration. The more your nap is long-drawn, the more credible you are to have that feeling of numbness, confused and groggy. That grogginess you feel after a quite a long nap is called sleep inertia.

Risks Associated With Long Duration Naps

1. Diabetes
2. Heart disease
3. Metabolic syndrome
4. Reduced ability to think and form memories
5. Confusion, Fuzzy Headedness 
6. Depression
7. Poor quality of sleep at night
   
   

Conclusion

Dr Kausthub Desikachar says ideally, to reap the benefits of a nap, the duration of a quick nap should serve between 20 and 30 minutes at max. “A quick nap will be refreshing, while a long nap can bring adverse effects on health.”