Health Benefits of Napping

The benefits of napping is often overlooked by most people, but now we begin to understand the importance of the benefits of napping for overall health and well-being. In fact, when people are sleeping less than 6 or 7 hours of sleep each night, their risk for disease starts to increase.

Here are the health benefits of napping:

1. Keeping your heart healthy

Heart attacks and strokes are more common in the morning. This fact can be explained because of the interaction between sleep with blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you sleep between seven and nine hours each night.

2. Prevent cancer

People who work night shifts have a higher risk for developing breast cancer and colon cancer or colon. The researchers believe that this is caused by different levels of melatonin in people exposed to light at night. Exposure to light reduces the level of melatonin, a hormone that makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Melatonin appears to suppress tumor growth.

3. Sleep reduces stress

When your body is sleep deprived, it is included in the state of stress. The functions of the body on high alert which causes increased blood pressure and stress hormone production. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Stress hormones make it harder for you to sleep.

4. Sleep reduces inflammation

Increased levels of stress hormones increase inflammation in your body, it also creates more risk for heart conditions, cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is considered one of the causes of damage to your body.

5. Sleep makes you more alert

Of course be sure, a good night's sleep makes you feel energized and ready to welcome the next day.

6. Sleep refreshes memories

The researchers do not fully understand why we sleep and dream, but a process called memory consolidation happens during sleep. While your body may break, your brain is busy processing your day, establish relationships between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Your dreams and deep sleep is an important time for your brain to form memories. Obtain better quality sleep will help you remember and process things better.

7. Help you lose weight

The researchers also found that people who sleep less than 7 hours per night tend to be overweight or obese. It is estimated that lack of sleep affects the hormonal balance in the body that affect appetite. Hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite. So if you are interested in controlling or losing weight, do not forget to pay attention to your sleep.

8. Napping Makes You Smarter

Sleeping during the day not only be an effective alternative and refreshing, it can also protect your health and make you more productive. A study of 24,000 Greek adults showed that people who napped several times a week have a lower risk of dying from heart disease. People who nap at work has a much lower stress levels. Napping also improves memory, cognitive function and mood.

9. Reduce the risk of depression

Sleep affects many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with low serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. You can prevent depression by making sure you get to sleep between 7 and 9 hours each night.

10. Sleep helps the body make repairs

Sleep is the time for the body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other dangerous risks. Cells produce more protein while you're sleeping. Protein molecules that repair damaged cells, which allows for repair of damage to the body.