Napping 101: hacks for people who swear they can’t day-sleep

Napping is actually very healthy for you. Image: iStock. Source:BodyAndSoul If health experts could have their way, we’d all be napping on the regular. Studies show that there’s more good in napping than just reducing fatigue, with naps also proven to improve our mood, immune functioning and memory recall . In fact, people who nap at least three times a week may even live longer, thanks to a reduced risk of a heart attack . “Napping is a skill we can all be cultivating because it’s really good for us,” sleep scientist Dr Carmel Harrington , author of The Complete Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep , tells bodyandsoul. “The major issue is that people don’t understand the value of napping.” Sounds good in theory, but what if you just can’t sleep when the sun is up? Dr Harrington has some tips. 1. Know the productivity value Despite the fact Google, Mercedes Benz and NASA staff have access to EnergyPod chairs that are designed for sleeping on the job – many people still judge napping as a waste of valuable time. “When people say ‘I don’t nap’, it could be the perception that napping in the day is lazy,” Dr Harrington says. “We all have been brought up with the idea that we should be on the ball 24/7. We don’t even like sleeping at night half the time, let alone sleeping in the afternoon.” Napping is not lazy. Image: iStock. Source:BodyAndSoul But Dr Harrington says napping deserves a rebranding to make it our go-to energy booster, given it works similarly to caffeine without a subsequent crash. “If we started to see napping as a tool for productivity rather than something that takes away from our productivity, I think people would have a different attitude towards it,” she says. […]

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