The brain-strengthening benefits of a midday snooze

If you’ve ever felt guilty about indulging in an afternoon nap, you’re hereby absolved of all guilt.

In fact, if you get tired in the afternoon and don’t take a nap, then you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Research shows that an afternoon nap acts like a tonic, giving your brain the much-needed support it needs — especially if you’re 60 or older.

The significance of sleep efficiency

As I mentioned in a recent article I sent you, sleep deficits can wreak havoc on your metabolic health. And when sleep deprivation becomes chronic, you’re more likely to develop insulin resistance, which sets the stage for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

In more recent years, researchers have found that metabolic issues also play an important role in brain health and cognition as you age.

For instance, in one study of older adults, researchers found that participants who got the least sleep on average had the most pronounced reduction in brain volume, with a marked drop in cognitive function.

But new research shows that if you can improve on your sleep efficiency, then your brain enjoys the benefit. And “indulging” in an afternoon nap may be all you need to boost your overall sleep efficiency to a healthy level.

Sleep efficiency is simply the percentage of time spent asleep while you’re in bed. A healthy sleep efficiency is 85 percent or higher. For example, let’s say you’re in bed for about eight hours, but about 70 minutes of that time (or less) is spent awake. Your sleep efficiency still equates to 85 percent of sleep time, and is therefore efficient.

As Dr. Marc Micozzi points out in his Complete Alzheimer’s Cure, a well-placed nap can boost your sleep efficiency into the brain-healthy zone.

He cites a study where a survey of older adults revealed that the amount of time they spend asleep actually increases as time goes by. The reason? “This survey,” Dr. Micozzi says, “counts all slumber during a 24-hour period, rather than just nighttime snoozing.

“That means naps are considered valid — and valuable — sleep time.”

The wisdom of the siesta

Benjamin Franklin famously said: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Dr. Micozzi is a firm believer in that simple saying. He notes that both science and tradition show coordinating our sleep schedules with the daily pattern of the sun is optimal for overall health.

But there’s a little more to it than that…

He continues, “There’s also a natural cycle during the day of wakefulness and sleepiness. Drowsiness sets in after the noontime meal and again after the sun begins to decline in the sky.

“In school and at work we learn to fight off this natural sleep cycle. But as we retire or cut back on work, we have more control over our daily lives and schedule — meaning we can lie down for an afternoon nap if so inclined.”

In other words, if you’re so inclined, do it!

Dr. Micozzi points out that other cultures accommodate this natural cycle by taking time off after the mid-day meal for a siesta — a tradition that’s disappearing, although according to the science, should really be more prevalent.

Let your body choose how long you snooze

So how long should you nap?

Should you take a quick power-nap? Or is it better to hunker down for a deep dive into afternoon sleep?

The answer to that is really up to you. Your body knows your sleep needs, so if your schedule allows, allow your body (and brain) to get what it needs.

Either way, research shows that napping reduces inflammation and prompts a drop in cortisol, the so-called “stress hormone.”

And Dr. Micozzi points out that “anything that reduces stress and produces relaxation contributes to brain health.”

Dr. Micozzi shares further insights about sleep and brain health, along with other key dementia preventatives in his Complete Alzheimer’s Cure. Click here for a complete overview of this online learning protocol, or to get started in learning your way to a better brain today.

SOURCES

“Daytime napping after a night of sleep loss decreases sleepiness, improves performance, and causes beneficial changes in cortisol and interleukin-6 secretion.” American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism 2007; 292(1): E253-261. DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00651.2005