Frequent Napping Has Health Benefits, Including Reducing Stress

This is great news for me! As a self-described expert napper, I’m always looking for a good reason to take a quick snooze. And I can do it anywhere. Couch, chair, floor, under tables, in cars. Whatever you got, I can make it work.

And I know I’m not alone; there are tons of people out there who love the napping life just as much as I do. Well, research shows that not only are naps enjoyable, but they are good for you, too.

Nap

A napping habit can help you have sharper brain function and hone your problem-solving skills. A short slumber can also help you deal with stress better, regulate your blood pressure, and even assist you with maintaining a healthy weight.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, there are three types of naps that they suggest taking:

1. Naps that you plan before you get tired. These help out with tiredness and fatigue.

2. Emergency napping is when you are too wiped out to do your everyday work and activities. These are good for people who deal with fatigue and drowsiness.

3. Habitual naps describe ones that are taken at the same time, each and every day. A lot of babies and elderly people are on this schedule.

Nap

Napping is frowned upon in the United States because of our hectic work schedules, but in other countries, it’s very common to take a nap during the day. A study from Greece – where napping is culturally much more accepted – found that napping three times a week can lower your risk of developing a serious heart condition by up to 37%.

Nap time

The amount of time you nap has benefits for different aspects of your health. If you nap for 20 minutes, you can look forward to enhanced memory and mental alertness. A 20-30-minute nap can help boost creativity and memory. Snoozing for 30-60 minutes helps you optimize memory and decision-making skills. And if you want to nap for 60-90 minutes, you’ll experience REM sleep, which will help you to reset your brain and can improve your problem-solving skills.

Take that, anti-nappers!

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Evidence Suggests That Running Could Prolong Your Life

Running certainly isn’t for everyone. Like me, for instance.

I’m one of those people who jokes that if you see me running, you should run, too, because there’s definitely something or someone chasing me.

I might have to reconsider my position, though, given that data supporting the idea that running equals better health just keeps piling up.

 

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We can add to it this report, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which found that people who ran even once a week had a 27% lower risk of dying early due to heart-related issues.

The associated study looked at the habits of 232,149 people over the course of 35 years, and even though there’s no promise that picking up a running habit will prevent you from dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer, they have shown a link between the two.

The good news is, it doesn’t appear you have to be a dedicated runner to reap the benefits of running – even people who ran for less than 50 minutes every week, or only once per week, or slower than 6mph avoided earlier deaths.

 

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“This finding may be motivating for those who cannot invest a lot of time in exercise, but it should definitely not discourage those who already engage in higher amounts of running,” summed up Željko Pedišić, one of the study’s authors told Runner’s World.

So, if you love running and do it often, there’s no reason to back off. And if you’re like me, well, there seem to be compelling health reasons to give it a go, even casually.

Just one 45-minute jog once a week could lower your blood pressure, your high cholesterol, help combat obesity and cardiovascular disease, lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, and even help keep certain types of cancer at bay.

 

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I guess those are pretty good reasons for getting off the couch and out from behind the computer once in a while.

So if you see me running, run too – just in case there are zombies, but also because we’d all like to live a little bit longer, if we could.

Right?

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