Many people feel sleepy during work hours, but they are afraid to take a short nap in the office for fear that their boss might think they are "lazy"! However, the latest research from University College London has found that regular napping makes the brain healthier. It encourages people who feel tired at work to take a 5 to 15-minute nap, as long as it doesn't exceed 30 minutes, there's no need to worry about affecting nighttime sleep. The study was published in "Sleep Health".
During childhood, parents would let their children nap during the day, but as adults, only a few people maintain this habit. Previous research found that napping for 5 to 15 minutes can keep people more alert for 1 to 3 hours. Researchers at University College London wanted to understand the impact of napping on people, so they recruited 378,932 Europeans aged 40 to 69 and used "Mendelian randomization" to observe the DNA fragments of the subjects.
The researchers conducted cognitive tests on all subjects, including visual memory and reaction time, and used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of some subjects to observe changes in brain structure. They then compared and analyzed the subjects' napping habits. The results showed that compared to those who did not nap, nappers had larger total brain volumes. Total brain volume is a health indicator used to assess whether the brain is prone to atrophy. A decrease or atrophy in brain volume is considered to be related to cognitive impairment and dementia.
Researchers estimated that the average difference in total brain volume between habitual nappers and non-nappers was equivalent to being 2.6 to 6.5 years younger. The biggest difference in brain volume between the two groups was in the volume of the hippocampus and reaction time. The hippocampus is an important area for human memory and learning, and its atrophy can lead to a decline in cognitive function.
Researchers suggest that a "short nap" of under 30 minutes during the day can provide the best short-term cognitive benefits, and naps under 30 minutes are also less likely to disrupt nighttime sleep.
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