Are Daytime Naps Beneficial or Detrimental to Brain Health?
March 15, 2025 - 09:30
Is napping good for your brain or just a lazy habit? Recent scientific studies have shed light on the surprising benefits and potential risks associated with daytime naps. Napping, often seen as a guilty pleasure, can actually play a significant role in enhancing cognitive function and improving mood.
Research indicates that short naps, typically lasting between 10 to 20 minutes, can boost alertness, improve memory retention, and enhance overall performance. These brief periods of rest allow the brain to consolidate information and recharge, making it easier to tackle tasks later in the day.
However, longer naps, particularly those exceeding 30 minutes, may lead to grogginess and disrupt nighttime sleep patterns. This can result in a cycle of sleep deprivation that ultimately affects mental clarity and productivity.
To maximize the benefits of napping, experts recommend timing and duration be carefully considered. A well-timed nap can be a powerful tool for maintaining mental sharpness and emotional well-being, while excessive or poorly timed naps could hinder cognitive performance.
MORE NEWS
August 24, 2026 - 11:35
Psychology explains how trauma can trigger the lesser-known ‘fawn response’, making some people act calm aMost people know about fight or flight, but psychology experts point to a lesser-known reaction called fawning. This response makes some individuals try to please or appease a perceived threat...
August 23, 2026 - 22:30
Wellness stacking: why psychologists say it beats willpower for building healthy habitsFor years, the standard advice for building healthy habits was simple: just try harder. But psychologists are now pointing to a different approach called wellness stacking, and they say it works...
August 23, 2026 - 11:00
Why Good People So Often Do Nothing`Always try to do the right thing` is the kind of advice that sounds too obvious to need saying. Of course you should. Who wakes up planning to do the wrong thing? But the gap between our good...
August 22, 2026 - 23:54
Psychology says time genuinely feels faster in your 60s and 70s, and it’s not your imagination — the brain timestamps novelty, and routine years leave fewer markers behind, so whole stretches compress in memoryThe calendar gave you the same 365 days every year. What changed is how many of them your memory filed separately, and in later life, that number tends to drop. Psychologists say this isn`t a trick...