Regular afternoon nap can keep your brain sharp – Reality or myth?
According to the researchers, afternoon nap seems to be associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency, and working memory.
You all know how important the brain is for each one of you. Your brain is arguably the most important organ of your body. It not only controls and coordinates your actions and reactions but also allows you to think and feel—all the things that make you a human! And thus, there is no doubt that keeping the brain healthy and sharp is of utmost importance – which at times you may fail to do amidst a busy lifestyle.
However, a new study has revealed that taking a regular afternoon nap can keep your brain sharp. Yes, you read that right – afternoon napping is linked to better mental agility.
The researchers, including Wei Li from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, suggest that afternoon nap seems to be associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency, and working memory.
According to the experts, for the study, published in the journal General Psychiatry, the researchers involved 2,214 ostensibly healthy people aged at least 60 and residents of several large cities around China.
In all, 1,534 took a regular afternoon nap, while 680 did not. All participants underwent a series of health checks and cognitive assessments, including the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) to check for dementia.
The average length of nighttime sleep was around 6.5 hours in both groups. Afternoon naps were defined as periods of at least five consecutive minutes of sleep, but no more than 2 hours, and taken after lunch.
