How Does Afternoon Nap Improve Brain Power?

Taking nap in the afternoon is something that many people do not have the time or are able to get. An individual who is overworked or extremely tired from a long flight or being on a road would vouch how resting an afternoon nap can be. Napping is always discouraged and is seen as a sign of laziness and behaving like a child. This is because of the work culture we have these days where you are required to work day in and day out but the truth is that the more you work the more important Napping in the afternoon becomes. There are only a few lucky one who get the opportunity to Nap in the afternoon. Studies have shown that napping improves brain power.

This may come as a surprise but it is true. Afternoon nap not only improves the mental capability of an individual but also improves the efficiency of an individual. This article gives a brief overview of how does afternoon nap improve brain power.

Napping Increases Creativity: There have been numerous studies conducted which have proved that the REM sleep improves the ability for creative thinking and increase problem solving skills. This is more so when you are involved with a new problem to tackle at work.

This is because when you are already on a problem or solving a bug at work then you get enough time to find a solution for it while awake but if you encounter a new bug then afternoon nap improves your ability to crack the bug or puzzle more quickly than otherwise. The solution that people came up, when faced with a puzzle during a study, after Napping were found to be more innovative and novel than people who did not take a nap.

Improve Cognitive Processing Skills: Studies have also proven that adults who were prone to Napping scored significantly better on Cognitive Assessment Tests than individuals who did not indulge in afternoon napping.

Improving Memory: A study conducted in Germany found out a startling fact that Napping in the afternoon improved memory of the participants who were in the habit of napping quite significantly. The amount or duration of nap is not the criterion as the nap can be as short as about 15-20 minutes of a power nap to over an hour.

Thus people should consider taking an afternoon np, especially in children in preschool, as a positive step towards boosting memory of the child. This may not be feasible for all environments, especially in office, but it is certainly something that should be considered, more so for those employees who put in more work hours and are in the field of creativity and require a lot of Brain Power to work efficiently.

A special room where employees can go and take rest or a power nap in the afternoon may be a good idea to begin with so that their employees are always on the edge and sharp throughout their working time.

Improve Level of Alertness: A study conducted by the North Atlantic Space Organization or NASA reveals that a short nap has enough power to increase the alertness of an individual by more than 100%. This startling result has been highly debated and studies have shown that this incredible boost in the level of alertness is seen more in people who nap for not more than 30 minutes a day.

An afternoon nap longer than that may interfere with the circadian rhythm of the body and may have an opposite affect and may result in grogginess. However, a short stint of Napping can definitely help in increasing the level of alertness.

In summary, it has been proven by studies conducted by various organizations including the NASA that afternoon nap not only increases the level of alertness in an individual but also increases creativity and improves the problem solving skills of an individual proving that Napping Improves Brain Power.