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Updated December 6th, 2019 at 16:09 IST

Short naps and its powerful effects on the body to relieve stress

Short naps aka power naps are helping many people to relieve stress from their life. Short naps help in gaining the missed sleep and refreshing the mind.

Reported by: Yash Tripathi
Short Naps
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Sleep is an essential element to lead a healthy and stress-free life. A person needs to understand that whenever they miss a good night's sleep, it affects their brain majorly. In such a scenario, a person must add power naps in their daily schedule to tackle sleep-related issues so that it can relieve their brain from creating stress-related symptoms. Here is all you need to know about power naps and missing sleep.

Ill effects of missing sleep

According to many health experts, the ill effects of missing sleep for even one day can add up to other days as well. If a person misses adequate sleep for many days in a row, it starts harming his/her brain, making the person sleep deficit. This may affect several cognitive aspects such as

  • Reaction time
  • Judgment
  • Vision
  • Vigilance
  • Information processing
  • Short-term memory
  • Performance
  • Motivation
  • Patience
  • Some people also start experiencing more moodiness, aggressive behaviours, and more stress.

Perks of a power nap

According to many studies, 20 minutes of sleep during the afternoon time gives a person more rest than 20 minutes of extra sleep in the morning. The human body is designed in a way that a person starts feeling tired just after eight hours which is why a quick short nap of 20 minutes relieves and refreshes the mind.

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How long a person must sleep?

When a person sleeps, he/she goes through a sleep cycle of stages in the sleep. Every stage has its importance and significance. The first stage is light sleep where a person is about to enter into a deep sleep. The second stage is the deep sleep stage. It is believed by many health experts that during this stage, the body repairs itself. The final stage is the REM sleep, aka rapid-eye-movement, when it is believed that the mind repairs itself.

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So the longer a person sleeps, the deeper stage of sleep they will reach. Power naps are quick refreshments to relieve the body from tiredness and stress. It does have its pros and cons but it is advisable to understand the sleep pattern and the loss of sleep. A minimum of 15-30 minutes of nap refreshes the mind. Some experts believe that one-hour naps have much greater benefits in healing and repairing but ultimately it all depends on a person's break pattern and the time at hand.

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Disclaimer: The information has been sourced from various medical journals. The website does not hold any liability for the information provided. Consulting a doctor or expert advice is highly recommended.

Also Read | Health Tips | Benefits of green leafy vegetables on the health

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Published December 6th, 2019 at 11:57 IST

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