Live Longer, Get More Done By Doing One Simple Thing, Take a Nap!!

Did you know a daily nap can actually increase your productivity and also give you a more positive state of mind? Researchers have found that a nap of at least 60 to 90 minutes increases you chances of having REM sleep that will help to clear you mind of short term memory that becomes too large, if you will, for your brain to process effectively. The REM sleep helps to relax you and clear your mind increasing your ability to not only think more clearly but also increase the level of positive thoughts coming into your brain and thus improve your mood.

It is believed the REM sleep occurs in the beginning of our nightly sleep and in the early mornings. During this time our brain wave actually tend to more closely resemble waking brain waves. REM sleep can be restorative in that it helps us to work through problems we may be going through in our lives. This REM sleep helps us deal with stress in our lives. Our eyes actually practice movement Increasing our eye movement coordination. We restore neurons and brain chemicals as our brains actually go through a form of necessary development and maybe most important of all our brains clear out RAM if you will like a computer and we make room for new memory and consideration with past memory by clearing out unnecessary memory. Infants go through REM sleep about 50% of the time they sleep and as adults we go down in REM to 20 or 30%.

If someone is woken in the middle of REM sleep which is what we mostly have during a short nap they will vividly remember their dreams. So maybe our brains need more of this cleaning out time especially on stressful days as well as more time to add neurons and chemicals to our brain. We "Clean out the Cobwebs"

Sleep longer than 90 minutes can leave you groggy and interrupt bedtime sleep. It has also been discovered that naps decrease the risk for cardiovascular problems down the road.

To have a relaxing nap you may need to darken your room and use a blanket because your temperature will drop while you sleep. Try to rid outside noise with earplugs or even a fan or white noise.

Napping will also increase your minds ability to function and is therefore good for preventing dementia and alzheimer's disease. Naps should not be thought of only as a way to catch up on lost sleep but as part of your daily routine.

A nap may be exactly what we need when life seems to be driving us crazy and then we can face the world in a more positive, clearer light.

Another interesting thing about our REM sleep is that we physically change in our heart rate , breathing pattern ( we take in more oxygen), our muscles twitch as they move into a relaxed state.

So the next time you feel the urge to cuddle up in bed for an aftnernoon snooze go ahead without in mislaid guilt. You just might be saving your life and your relationships also

References Charles Morin MD