Nap

[Guest guest]

" Having a nap in the

middle of the day may help people to unwind and relax - which is important for

our overall health.

 

" However it is

important to get a balance between rest and activity, as being regularly active

can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. "

 

A mid-day nap is an integral

part of the daily routine of many cultures, particularly those near the

equator. This suggests that napping may have been part of an evolutionary

mechanism to get us out of the hot midday sun. However, because the urge for a

nap is appreciably weaker than the need to sleep at night, it can be suppressed

(or masked by caffeine) but at the cost of increased sleepiness and reduced

mood and performance. Also, because naps conflict with work

 

schedules, they are becoming

less common in industrialized societies (with the exception of college students

and the elderly, who have more regular opportunities to nap). Unfortunately,

this decline in napping may be causing poorer afternoon alertness and

performance.

 

 

If you have an opportunity

for an afternoon nap, particularly after a poor night of sleep, take one; you

will feel more alert and energetic afterwards. Following a mid-afternoon nap,

performance may temporarily deteriorate due to grogginess. However, once sleep

inertia dissipates (usually 5-20 minutes), mood, energy, and subjective

alertness

improve beyond baseline. in sleep-deprived individuals, objective alertness and

performance also improve. In non-sleep deprived individuals, improvements in

performance have also been documented when measured 1.5 to 12 hours after a

nap, particularly when naps are scheduled in preparation for all-night work

shift. Naps should be limited to 45 minutes and avoided after 4:00 p.m.

otherwise,

one may enter deep sleep, which may cause grogginess for a period of time after

the nap and reduce the pressure for sleep that night.

 

In summary, napping is

normal and beneficial in terms of reducing sleepiness and increasing

performance. Optimum human performance appears best served by at least biphasic

sleep and perhaps polyphasic sleep.

 

Dr Rekha

http://rekhapadliya.blogspot.com

[Guest guest]

As per post# 14046, Nap is necessary for each & every individual.

 

But there are some limitations for taking the nap in the afternoon or we can

say in the Daytime. If any individual may not get proper sleep in the whole

night & feels sleepy in the Daytime, then he/she can take a nap in the Daytime.

It is stated in Ayurvedic Samhitas that, if somebody is deprived of sleep in the

whole night, then he/she can have a sleep in the Daytime, preferable in the

morning time & that too upto just the 50 % of the desired sleep.

 

  So it will not disturb the normal Doshas in the body. Otherwise the Daytime

nap can increase the Ajeerna ( Indigestion ) of the eaten food. & it can lead to

Aam Sanchiti, which in turn can be the reason for many ailments.

 

  In general, if a person is having night shifts for the work, or individuals

aged more than 55 or 60 years of age, or individuals who got some health

problems like Jvar ( Fever ) or Atisar ( Diarrhoea ) can take the Daytime nap.

 

The individuals, who are taking regular naps in the Daytime & immidiately

after meal, they always feels sleepy & gets some feverish feeling for some time.

This occurs due to the Aam Utpatti ( Aam generated ) after the immidiate nap

after the meal.

 

So it is always observed to take the Nap in the Daytime, in the 50 % of the

amount & on empty stomach, so that it will not have any disturbance in the

doshas & can allow the normal functioning of the body .