About Me

I have been a teacher of fitness and health for thirty years. In 1989 I was certified for personal training with the National Acadamy of Sports Medicine. I had a gym in Santa Barbara for eight years. Co-owned and created a spinning bike company which manufactured bikes for five years. Also I have worked with nutrition companies for twenty years. Along with many wonderful non famous people I have trained many celebrities, and members of the Royal Family. My own athletic past consists of long distance running, long distance cycling, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, rollerblading, hiking, sand running, track work, and weight training. I have authored two fitness columns in local papers, and have been writing this blog since January 2010.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Benefits of Taking a Power Nap


Are you able to take a nap in your day? Well if you are one of those lucky people that can lay down and fall asleep for twenty minutes in the middle of the day, it will be very beneficial to you.


Power napping lasts only around twenty to thirty minutes. Any longer and you will feel groggy and sleepy for a longer period of time after waking. Taking one of these twenty minute naps can do a great deal for your mind and body.


Having a short nap can actually reduce the stress hormones in your body and allow you to wake feeling less stressed and refreshed. You will also be able to focus better after one of these snoozes.


Scientists have proven that your endurance and stamina increases after taking one of these naps. You will be more productive and alert for the rest of your day as well.

Napping also improves your memory and learning ability. Taking a nap before an exam will probably increase your score due to the memory boost. Naps may protect the brain circuits from overuse, therefore allowing them to function better after a short rest.


Studies have shown that taking a short daily nap may reduce the risk of death by heart disease. It might also ward off a heart attack. Countries that practice daily "siestas" have fewer cases of heart disease.


Studies have also shown that if you nap more than 40 to 45 minutes the benefits of napping decrease. So it is important to keep your napping 35 minutes or under.

Napping can increase your creativity too. If you are working on a project and feel stuck, take a power nap and wake to a more creative mind. It helps to remove you from feeling stuck, and you can begin a new after taking a snooze.

I am not one of those lucky people that can just lay down and fall asleep. It takes me a while to get to that place. I am going to give it another try though. There are too many benefits to it to not do it. I am a sleeper! I love my eight hours a night, but sometimes I don't get it. This is when a nap would be very beneficial for me.

So give power napping a try. You will be healthier for it!

Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)