In this busy society, napping seems to have become a luxury. However, for 56-year-old Aunt Wu, napping is no longer a simple nap, but a puzzle that makes her fall into thought.
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Aunt Wu, a retired teacher who has worked the education front. After retiring, she continued to take naps, but as the stress of work wore off, she found herself taking longer naps.
From what was originally a short nap, it turned into a nap feast of an hour or two. She found that she was not more energetic, but her mind was foggy.
In the midst of a small talk with her good sister, she heard a message about the adverse effects of a nap.
Possible health risks from napping too long:
Aunt Wu really startled her by the news she heard. I thought that napping was good for the body, but I didn't expect that it might increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
After investigation, she found that a study from Harvard Medical School pointed out that napping too long, more than 1 hour, increased the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 40%.
A study from the European Cardiovascular Annual Meeting even pointed out that people who took a nap for more than 60 minutes had a 30% increased risk of all-cause death. A study by Zhejiang University School of Medicine found that people who take a nap for more than 1 hour may not only lead to obesity and diabetes, but also have a correspondingly higher risk of central obesity.
What's even more bizarre is that a study by the University of Huelva in Spain has shown that people who take a nap for more than 30 minutes have an increased risk of atrial fibrillation by up to 90%.
This series of research results made Aunt Wu begin to re-examine her napping habits. Perhaps, taking too long a nap was not as purely healthy as she had previously thought.
Best nap time:
So, the question is, what is the best nap time? A study from the journal Obesity, published in 2023, noted that people who took naps for more than 30 minutes were associated with a 41% increased risk of high BMI and metabolic syndrome.
Therefore, it is generally believed that nap time is best controlled between 15 and 30 minutes.
Academician Zhong Nanshan interprets the benefits of napping:
Beyond the "minefield" of napping, there is also a beautiful blessed land for napping. In an interview with CCTV, Academician Zhong Nanshan pointed out that taking a nap is an important gas station for the body, especially to improve the body's energy, which is very beneficial to the afternoon work.
He shared the multiple benefits of napping, including regulating mood, relieving stress, preventing Alzheimer's disease, improving memory, and even improving immunity.
It sounds like a nap is a good choice, as long as you don't fall into the trap of taking too long a nap.
Precautions and expert advice:
Of course, there are some things to keep in mind when it's time to take a nap. Don't take a nap immediately after you've eaten as this will cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, which is not conducive to food digestion. Sleeping on your stomach is also not recommended, as it can easily cause cervical spine problems, making you feel dizzy and numb when you wake up.
Excessive napping time is also not good for health, because people's sleep needs to go through two stages: light sleep and deep sleep, and after more than 30 minutes, they enter deep sleep, and ending early may lead to fatigue.
In addition, people with high viscosity blood, overweight, and low blood pressure should avoid napping, so as not to aggravate uncomfortable symptoms and even induce heart and brain accidents.
Takeaway: Perhaps, napping is not a simple black and white choice. After fully understanding the pros and cons of napping, we can choose the right napping method for us more wisely.
A moderate amount of napping is like a seasoning, adding a touch of color to life; However, taking too long a nap can become a "nightmare seasoning" in life, putting your health at risk.