Many employees and employers dream of being able to take a break and nod off for a moment in between the hectic hours at work. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to make napping a regular habit at work, so we often postpone taking a nap until the weekend. However, since the number of people who work from home is steadily increasing, taking a nap during the work week is no longer an unrealistic dream for many people.
For this reason, we want to answer the most important questions about naps in this article. Among other things, we want to clarify: 'How healthy is napping?' 'Why is napping healthy?' and 'How long of a nap is healthy?'. We’ll also give you some advice on how long babies’ and children’s naps should be and when you can skip them.
The human biological clock
It’s impossible for people to operate at one hundred percent efficiency throughout the day; we all reach a low point at least once a day. Our sleep rhythm is set by our internal clock, which determines when we are at our most productive and when we need a break.
Our body recuperates best at night, because it releases more of the hormone melatonin in the dark at this time. In addition, our breathing becomes shallower and our blood pressure falls. These are the perfect conditions for the body to begin repairing itself.
We experience our absolute low point in the early hours of the morning, which occurs at around 3 to 4 a.m. for most people. At this time, we’re able to be productive only with great effort. But we don't only hit rock bottom at night - we also experience another low point during the day. This usually sets in between noon and 2 p.m., and changes depending on when we go to bed.
Is napping healthy?
Our body does not only need to recover at night, as our energy levels also drop during the day. This manifests itself in feeling fatigued, having trouble concentrating and making mistakes more often. To avoid these problems and boost our performance, we can take a nap at the right time and for the right length.
In addition to the positive effects on our productivity, the daily midday break also has health benefits. A study from 2015 shows that taking a nap can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. This difference is particularly evident in Mediterranean or Latin American countries, where the custom of napping is widespread and accepted. Though other factors surely play a role, people in these countries have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than do people in Northern Europe or North America.
In addition, taking a nap can make us work more creatively and lift our spirits. If you often feel irritable due to fatigue and lack of energy, it might be best to lie down and sleep for a few minutes around lunchtime.
In summary, sleeping at midday has the following benefits:
- Improved attention and increased receptivity
- Lower blood pressure rate and lower risk of cardiovascular disease
- Improved memory
- Improved mood Improved creativity and efficiency
How much napping is healthy?
To prevent your napping from having a negative impact on your sleep at night, make sure your nap doesn’t last for longer than 30 minutes. This is due to the five different sleep phases we go through at night. If our nap lasts longer than 30 minutes, we run the risk of entering the deep sleep phase.
It’s difficult to get out of the deep sleep phase, which leaves us feeling drowsy instead of refreshed when we get up. In addition, this can have a negative effect on our sleep at night, because too long a nap makes it difficult for us to both fall asleep and sleep through the night.
Midday nap for babies
Newborns haven’t yet developed their day-night rhythm and therefore sleep for several hours throughout the day and night. It’s normal for babies not to take a single, prolonged nap for the first few months; as they get older, when they sleep only gradually moves later and later into the night. Babies who are about one year old or older only take one or two longer naps instead of spending several hours asleep during the day.
Taking naps and getting adequate sleep in general are extremely important for babies, as their little bodies release growth hormones while they’re off in dreamland. In addition, sleep helps babies to remember newly learned things and move information from their short-term memory to their long-term memory.
It’s best to put your baby down when they show signs of tiredness or fatigue. These signs include, for example, eye rubbing, frequent yawning, fist clenching or thumb sucking. The ideal time for a baby to nap is between 12:00 and 2:30 pm.
Midday naps for children
Just like adults, children also experience a dip in their energy levels throughout the day. Since sleep has many positive effects on early childhood development, children should take regular naps. However, the amount of sleep children need varies from child to child.
Between the ages of three and six, many children stop taking regular naps. If they do take naps, the length of their naptimes also gets shorter. From what age you can stop making your toddler take a nap depends on your child's habits. If your child feels fine throughout the day without taking one, they probably don’t need to lie down at midday.
Zizzz products for a good night’s sleep
In addition to taking a nap, getting a good night’s sleep at night is of course important for our productivity and health. After a restful night's sleep, we feel refreshed and can reach our highest levels of productivity.
The right sleeping environment plays an important role in making the night as restful as possible. The pillow we sleep with, for example, can affect our sleep quality and how healthy our posture is at night.
For the highest sleep quality, we recommend duck down pillows, goose down pillows or sheep's wool pillows. Our pillows are filled with ethically-sourced European down and wrapped in a layer of soft organic cotton. Our sheep's wool pillows can be perfectly adapted to your individual needs by adding or removing the Swisswool pellets contained in the pillow’s inner inlet.
Conclusion
Taking a nap has benefits for both adults and children. Due to the influence of our biological clock, our energy levels go down around noon and we need a break to recharge our energy reserves.
At this time, a short nap is ideal to improve mood and boost creativity. Naptime should not exceed 30 minutes so that we do not enter the deep sleep phase.
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