Can napping support productivity, energy, brain health, wellbeing and creativity?

Research studies indicate napping does provide these benefits

A Guardian article, for example, references a study finding that "habitual napping appears to be associated with a larger brain volume in adults...The work followed previous studies that suggested a brief doze could improve people’s ability to learn."

Dr Mattie Toma, "an assistant professor in the behavioural science group at Warwick University, said her own research among low-income urban workers in India found half-hour afternoon naps boosted attention, wellbeing and productivity."

"Prof Sara Mednick, of the department of cognitive sciences at the University of California, Irvine, agreed:

“We are a sleep-deprived people, which makes us more prone to accidents at work, lower levels of creativity and concentration, and higher levels of irritability.”

From Calls to make nap part of working day after latest study on brain benefits.

The image at top comes from an article by EEG feedback headband company Muse:

"According to Muse’s 2022 Brain Health Report, Americans ranked sleep as the fourth most important aspect of brain health.

But "1 in 3 American adults fails to get enough sleep each night. That's a jaw-dropping 33% of the adult U.S. population struggling with chronic sleep deprivation, which aside from the fatigue also carries consequences for our health, relationships, and careers. [2 - link to a CDC news story]

"Could naps be the solution to this sleep crisis?"

The writer notes "Research has found there are numerous health benefits of power napping...power naps may actually provide short-term benefits for cognitive functioning and boost our energy levels."

Creativity also may benefit.

"While shorter power naps are associated with increased energy and alertness, longer naps of 60 to 90 minutes have been linked with increased creativity, greater problem-solving, increased neural connections, working memory, and more."

See more in article "The science behind power napping and work productivity" by Stephanie Hsu, Muse.

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