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Home Health from A to Z Useful information Daytime naps for adults: pros and cons
Date of publication: November 29, 2017
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The benefits and harms of daytime sleep
If you're sleep-deprived or just looking for a way to relax, you might be thinking about taking a nap during the day. Meanwhile, sleeping at the wrong time of day or taking too much nap during the day can have the opposite effect. Let's figure out what the pros and cons of daytime sleep are and how to organize it correctly.
What are the negative aspects of napping?
Daytime naps aren't for everyone. Some people simply cannot sleep during the day or have difficulty sleeping in an unusual environment (the ability to sleep during the day does not always mean that they can properly lie down in their own bed). Daytime napping can also cause some unwanted effects, such as:
- lethargy
. When you wake up, you may feel groggy and sleep deprived;
- night sleep disturbance
. For most people, short naps generally have no effect on the quality of sleep at night. However, if you suffer from insomnia or have trouble sleeping at night (your sleep is interrupted and not deep enough), napping during the day can make these problems worse. Long or frequent episodes of napping during the day can have a negative impact on how you sleep at night.
Good sleep is a necessary condition for a healthy lifestyle
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Healthy sleep is physiologically necessary for a person and is an important condition for physical and mental health. A person spends about a third of his life sleeping, so this part of our life needs to be given close attention and care to ensure that sleep is healthy and correct. The quality of our wakefulness depends on the quality of our sleep, that is, how our body rests at night determines how it will function during the day. Proper sleep is the source of a great mood, good health and, of course, our beauty.
In addition, the hormone melatonin is produced at night. The small pineal gland (also called the “epiphysis”), located in the center of the brain, is responsible for its production. Despite the fact that it weighs only one gram, it regulates many processes in our body. For example, during the day it is responsible for the production of seratonin, the hormone of happiness, and at night, accordingly, for the production of melatonin.
The hormone melatonin is responsible for restoring the psyche, cardiovascular and immune systems, and with its help, rejuvenating processes occur in the body. The most active production of melatonin occurs from 24:00 pm to 02:00 am.
For its normal production, you need to sleep in absolute darkness, so it is impossible to compensate for the lack of this hormone with daytime sleep. The largest amount of melatonin is produced in infants and, unfortunately, its amount decreases with age.
What can you do to influence melatonin production?
1.Live in accordance with your biological rhythms - sleep at night and stay awake during the day.
2. Be in the sun during the day - active production of serotonin during the day, promotes normal production of melatonin at night
3.Drink less alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and medications.
4. Cover the windows with thick curtains.
5. Add more foods to your diet that contain tryptophan, an amino acid that is the “building material” for melatonin and seratonin.
Large amounts of this amino acid are found in rice, tomatoes, corn, oats, lean meat, chicken eggs, hard cheeses, pumpkin seeds, nuts and beans.
Anyone losing weight also needs to know that growth hormone is produced during sleep, which affects fat burning and muscle strengthening. If a person sleeps little, growth hormone is produced in insufficient quantities, muscles become flabby and excess weight appears.
Sleep functions
- Rest of the body.
— Protection and restoration of organs and systems of the body for normal functioning.
-Processing, consolidation and storage of information.
— Adaptation to changes in illumination (day-night).
-Maintaining a person’s normal psycho-emotional state.
-Restoration of the body's immunity.
Rules for healthy sleep
There are a number of rules that, if followed, will make sleep extremely beneficial for your health. These rules help the body correctly perform its functions during sleep, which certainly has a beneficial effect on a person’s well-being and mood during the waking period.
— Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time, regardless of the day of the week.
-It is best to go to bed before 11 pm. It is at this time that most people's bodies are set to relax.
-You should not eat food before bed. A couple of hours before bedtime, you can have a light snack, such as vegetables, fruits or dairy products.
-Do not drink alcohol or drinks containing caffeine (cocoa, coffee, tea) before bedtime. Tea with chamomile, mint or warm milk with honey, drunk before bed, will benefit the body and help you fall asleep faster and easier.
- A walk in the fresh air before bed will help you fall asleep quickly.
— Before going to bed, you shouldn’t think about problems and worries; you’ll have time to think about them during the day. In the evening, it is best to relax and help the body fully rest and recover during the night's sleep. If possible, relax your muscles and think about something pleasant.
— You shouldn’t take a cold shower before bed; leave this procedure for the morning. In the evening, it is best to take a warm bath or shower.
-To quickly and peacefully fall asleep, you can read quiet literature or turn on soft, slow music, sounds of nature, lullabies, etc.
-Don’t forget to ventilate your sleeping area before going to bed.
-Turn off the lights in the sleeping area, otherwise your sleep will most likely be superficial, which will not allow your body to fully rest and recover.
-Scientists recommend sleeping with your head facing north or east.
-It is best to sleep naked, and if you freeze, cover yourself with an additional blanket, rather than putting on warm clothes.
-To rest the body, it is enough to sleep four full sleep cycles, consisting of slow and fast sleep and described above.
-The sleeping area should be level, not too soft and not too hard.
-It is necessary to sleep in a horizontal position, preferably alternately - either on the right or on the left side. Experts do not recommend sleeping on your stomach.
-In order to give a start to a good mood from the very morning, do not lie in bed for a long time, immediately after waking up, stretch, smile and get up. Do it slowly and with pleasure.
List of used literature:
Irina Raduntsova, Healthy sleep. Tips and tricks
Good sleep is a necessary condition for a healthy lifestyle
The article was prepared by: Medical assistant at the medical office. prevention, Vozdvizhenskaya A. Yu.
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What's the best way to organize your naps?
To get the most out of your naps, follow these tips.
- Don't sleep long
. Set a goal for yourself to sleep for 10-30 minutes. The longer the nap, the more likely you are to feel sleepy when you wake up.
- Sleep in the afternoon
. It is best to lie down to sleep somewhere around two and three o'clock in the afternoon. At this time, you are likely to experience your usual afternoon sleepiness or decreased alertness. Additionally, napping during these hours will have the least impact on your sleep at night. However, remember that individual factors - such as your sleep needs or daily routine - can also help determine the most appropriate time for napping in your case.
- Create a calm environment
. Sleep in a quiet, dark place, at a comfortable temperature and with a minimum of distractions.
After your nap, give yourself time to fully wake up before you return to vigorous activities, especially those that require quick or acute reactions.
Make an appointment Do not self-medicate. Contact our specialists who will correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.
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Poor sleep affects weight gain
Yes, lack of sleep leads to weight gain and, consequently, obesity. According to research from the US National Institutes of Health, people who don't get enough sleep weigh more than those who get enough sleep. In fact, lack of sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.
A 2008 study by the US National Institutes of Health found that 89% of children and 55% of adults with short sleep duration were very likely to be obese.
The effect of sleep on obesity may also be increased or decreased by other factors, such as hormones and motivation to exercise. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, then you need good sleep.
Key message: Lack of sleep increases the risk of weight gain and obesity in both children and adults.
Sleep and intelligence decline in old age
Sleeping is also important because during the slow-wave and REM stages of sleep, memory consolidation —the transfer of information from short-term memory to long-term memory [16]. The hippocampus plays a key role in this process. The information that a person received while awake is “played out” several times during sleep in the form of a sequence of electrical impulses in the cells of the hippocampus, and then transmitted to the cerebral cortex (mainly the prefrontal cortex), where it remains for long-term storage. The transfer of information from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex during sleep is facilitated because the concentrations of cortisol and acetylcholine [17] (substances that inhibit memory consolidation) in the brain are reduced (Fig. 2).
Figure 2. Age-related changes in the activity of signaling from the hippocampus to the cerebral cortex during sleep. As we age, the proportion of slow-wave oscillations in total sleep time decreases, the prefrontal cortex gradually degrades, cortisol levels increase and acetylcholine concentrations decrease.
[18]
In old age, the process of memory consolidation occurs with less intensity [18] due to three features that were already mentioned above:
- the share of delta sleep in total sleep time decreases;
- cortisol production increases;
- The structure of the prefrontal cortex changes, its volume becomes smaller with age.
However, in older people who do not suffer from serious mental and intellectual impairments, sleep is no less important for memory consolidation than for young people. For example, both of these categories of people perform the task of remembering the location of objects better after sleep. The same cannot be said for older people with cognitive problems [19].
With motor memory the situation is somewhat different. Even in healthy older adults, sleep does not improve recall of a recently learned motor skill [20]. The exact reasons for this are unknown. Perhaps the fact is that in old age, memorizing sequences of movements deteriorates in any case, and against the background of this deterioration, the “help” of sleep in the memorization processes is not noticeable.
Sleep improves immunity
American researchers have found that even minor sleep problems negatively affect the body's immune function. For 2 weeks, doctors monitored the development of colds in people who were injected nasally with the virus. It was found that those who slept less than 7 hours a night were 3 times more likely to get sick than those who slept 8 or more hours.
For those who often catch colds, it is advisable to sleep more than 8 hours at night. Eating plenty of garlic may also help.
In other words: 8 hours of good sleep helps strengthen your immunity and helps fight colds.
How to create conditions for good sleep
Sleep in a darkened room as much as possible: it is in complete darkness that the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, occurs most effectively. Even a short sleep in the dark gives a greater feeling of vigor than a long rest in a lighted room.- Create silence in the room, and if this is not possible, an alternative to silence can be white noise, drowning out other sounds. Special devices - white noise generators - can be purchased at any sleep supply store.
- Buy a humidity meter (hygrometer) and make sure that the bedroom has its optimal levels: 55-60%. To maintain the desired humidity, use an ultrasonic humidifier.
- Choose a temperature in the room that is pleasant for you personally and maintain it.
- Ventilate the room in the evenings, this is very important for healthy sleep.
- Sleep on a big bed. For a double bed, the optimal width may be 180 or 200 cm.
- Choose a comfortable mattress from well-known brands: this way you can be sure that no harmful components were used in its manufacture. Change it every 7-8 years. Buy a removable cover and wash it regularly. Turn the mattress over every 3 months and vacuum it and the base of the bed regularly. Give preference to orthopedic mattresses.
- Sleep on a good, medium-height pillow. Prefer pillows made from buckwheat or high-quality synthetic fillers in the form of balls or fibers to down pillows. Wash them at least once every 6 months, change them at least once every three years.
- Buy a blanket made from breathable materials. A good option is a blanket made of wool, silk, or light synthetics.
- The best underwear is one that does not contain dyes with a chemical smell, is dense, made from natural fabrics, absorbs moisture well and is pleasant to the touch.
People who get enough sleep do better in sports
The US National Institutes of Health conducted studies that showed that quality sleep improves athletic performance. Basketball players took part in the tests; Those who got regular sleep experienced improvements in speed, accuracy, reaction time and mental well-being.
There was another study regarding older women. Short sleep directly affected physical fitness. The trial involved more than 2,800 women and found that poor sleep was associated with slower walking, lower grip strength and greater difficulty performing independent activities.
To summarize: Prolonged sleep improves many aspects of sports and physical performance.
Those who sleep well consume fewer calories
Studies have shown that people try to compensate for lack of sleep with calories and therefore their appetite increases.
Sleep deprivation affects hormonal levels - in particular, as identified by the US National Institutes of Health, appetite hormones. The peptide hormone ghrelin increases, causing hunger, while leptin, which suppresses hunger, decreases. In fact, you don't want to eat, you just didn't get enough sleep.
It follows: Lack of sleep affects appetite hormones. Those who get enough sleep consume fewer calories than those who get little sleep.
Sleep influences sugar metabolism and risk of type 2 diabetes
Experiments were conducted, which revealed that sleep restriction affects blood sugar levels and reduces insulin sensitivity. Young healthy men were subjected to sleep deprivation: for 6 days in a row they could sleep only 4 hours. This caused symptoms of prediabetes. After returning to normal sleep duration, these symptoms disappeared within a week.
Poor sleep habits affect blood sugar levels in the general population. Those who sleep less than 6 hours a night have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Abstract: Lack of sleep can cause prediabetes in healthy adults in as little as 6 days. Many studies show a strong connection between short sleep and type 2 diabetes.
Good sleep improves concentration and productivity
Sleep is important for a variety of brain activities, including cognition, concentration, performance, and productivity. And lack of sleep can make them worse.
A good example is a study of the activities of medical interns. Interns with a standard schedule and extended work hours of more than 24 hours made 36% more medical errors than those interns who got good sleep.
Another study found that reduced sleep time may have the same negative effects on the brain as alcohol. There is evidence that good sleep improves problem-solving ability and memory function in adults and children.
Key message: Good sleep can improve problem-solving skills and memory performance. Lack of sleep has been proven to impair brain function.