Regular daytime sleep is good for your brain – it keeps it healthy and also prolongs your life, say researchers from University College London, who published their work in the journal Sleep Health. A team of scientists has discovered that a midday nap slightly increases the volume of the brain, which is known to shrink with age. The increase in brain volume makes the brain younger.
As one of the study’s authors, Dr. Victoria Garfield, notes, napping during the day is a much more appealing and convenient form of recovery than exercise, although she admits to preferring a half-hour workout at the gym to a quick nap. At the same time, experts admit that the luxury of a midday nap may not be available to everyone, especially if you work where management may not appreciate your desire to take a nap.
The afternoon nap is vital for young children, as it allows them to develop properly. Once upon a time, at least in Soviet kindergartens, it was mandatory – all children, whether they wanted to or not, were put on their beds in rows after lunch and given a so-called quiet hour. As they grew up, many of them looked back on this carefree time with nostalgia, since hardly anyone can afford to take a nap during the day. But as they approach retirement, they’re getting the chance again, and they’re not passing it up: according to surveys, about 27% of people 65 and older take a nap during the day.
It is known that the brain shrinks with age, leading to various, sometimes irreversible processes. Researchers are not ready to claim that regular daytime sleep can prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, but they point out that lack of sleep or poor quality sleep definitely damages the brain over time, causing inflammation and disrupting the connection between cells.
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Studying sleep is not a simple matter. Afternoon naps can definitely improve your health, but on the other hand, it is also true that health problems can make a person feel sleepy. How do you understand what is the cause and what is the effect?
To demonstrate the benefits of a midday nap, British scientists launched a massive natural experiment based on our DNA. Previous studies have already identified 97 segments of DNA responsible for our tendency to sleep or wake. This time, researchers analyzed data from 35,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 who voluntarily provided samples of their DNA, comparing the brain volume of those genetically predisposed to daytime sleepiness with the brains of genetically “alert” individuals. The difference in volume was 15 cubic centimeters, which may not sound impressive, but in reality it can mean an extra 2.6 to 6.5 years of life.
Researchers do not claim to be able to tell you how prolonged naps may affect your health, but they do say with confidence that a half-hour nap is guaranteed to increase the volume of your brain, even if only slightly, thereby strengthening its – and your – health.