Who would of thought, by simply taking naps during the day you can keep your brain sharp and improve cognitive abilities.
The new study which was written about at CTV News claims short 20 minute power naps and no longer, is enough to gain the benefits without waking up tired and groggy.
Learn more about the study below:
Taking an afternoon snooze could keep your brain sharp, a new study has said.
Adults ages 60 and older who took afternoon naps showed signs of better mental agility compared to those who didn’t nap, according to a study published in General Psychiatry earlier this week.
Researchers analyzed napping habits in 2,214 older Chinese people and measured their cognitive abilities using several cognitive tests.
The participants were divided into two categories, those who took regular naps and those who didn’t. The study defined naps as a period of sleep taken after lunch lasting between five minutes and two hours.
NAPPERS SCORED HIGHER
Participants took the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Beijing version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, both of which test for memory, language and other cognitive abilities. Results showed that napping positively affected older adults’ mental abilities, said lead study author Cai Han, geriatric psychiatrist at The Fourth People’s Hospital of Wuhu in China.
In every category listed in the study, nappers tested statistically higher on average compared to their non-napping counterparts.
“This study found that a proper nap is beneficial to the maintenance of cognitive function, so we encourage the elderly to take a proper nap,” Han said.
Unintentional nappers performed worse on the word recall test than non-nappers and intentional nappers, the study noted.
MANY FACTORS CAN AFFECT SLEEP
Researchers did not gather data from people under 60, so a correlation cannot be drawn between afternoon napping and younger generations. The study also noted that there are conflicting studies about the benefits and risks of napping.
To read the complete article, please see the original source at CTV News here.
