Are Naps Bad For You?
Also Known As: a short period of sleep
Short answer
Taking a nap is excellent for you, provided you do not exceed a certain amount of time, at which point your body may go into a deep sleep and disrupt your metabolism.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
Taking a nap can be extremely beneficial, as it helps your body get back to normal, especially if you missed a few Z's during the previous evening. Taking a midday snooze can help you feel more relaxed, increase your alertness, improve memory, quicken reaction time, and even boost your immune system by reversing the negative hormonal impact of a lack of sleep and restoring levels of interleukin-6, a protein with antiviral properties.
All these benefits come within 10-20 minutes of a nap - and according to studies on the effects of napping - you shouldn't be snoozing longer than that. According to research, after around 20 minutes, the brain may enter what is known as slow-wave sleep, which is a different way of saying you are in a deep sleep. This often results in the grogginess that people experience when they first wake up from a long nap, a feeling which can last for up to an hour upon waking.
Studies also suggest that taking long naps may increase the risk of diabetes by putting the metabolism off kilter - however, there are some that attribute this not to the long naps, but to the lack of sleep that precede them.
Another study, however, done of over 20,000 Greek males showed that those who took naps were 37% less likely to die of heart disease than those who didn't nap. While the left hemisphere of the brain is the more active half during our waking state, it is the right hemisphere which takes over during our sleeping state. Some believe that naps help improve our cognition and memory because the right side is "cleaning house" so to speak, doing tasks such as transporting our short-term memories to our long-term memory bank.
So long as naps are kept to between 10-20 minutes, they can have several beneficial effects. Sleeping longer than that risks going into a deep sleep and throwing off your metabolism. Also, keep in mind that naps are a good remedy for lack of sleep at night, but not a cure.
Possible short-term side effects
- grogginess
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disorientation
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feeling even more sleepy (when nap exceeds 20 minutes)
Possible long-term side effects
- napping for too long may put the metabolism off kilter
Benefits
- improves memory
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improves alertness
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quickens reaction time
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restores levels of interleukin-6
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boosts immune system
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reduces risk of death by heart disease
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Written by Jeff Volling
Published on: 02-22-2016
Last updated: 01-09-2017
Thank you for your feedback!
Written by Jeff Volling
Published on: 02-22-2016
Last updated: 01-09-2017
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