Why Not Nap?
Here’s the latest on the pros and cons of napping: daytime shuteye can help make up for a sleepless night, but researchers at Michigan State’s Sleep and Learning Lab wanted to know if short naps – those lasting an hour or less– can help overcome cognitive impairments linked to sleep deprivation. The short answer is “no”. Study leader Kimberly Fenn, Ph.D., an associate professor and director of the university’s Sleep and Learning Lab, reported that although slow-wave sleep was associated with reduced impairments associated with sleep deprivation, the amount of slow-wave sleep the participants obtained during their short naps was not enough to make a significant difference. The study team theorized that longer napping may be required to see reductions in cognitive deficits caused by insufficient sleep. (Slow-wave sleep is the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep, when our bodies are most relaxed, our muscles are at ease and our heart rate and respiration at their slowest).
Source:
Kimberly Fenn et al, “Slow-wave sleep during a brief nap is relate to reduced cognitive deficits during sleep deprivation.” https??doi.org/10.1093/sleep/sab152, June 22, 2021
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