Are Adult Naps Healthy? Exploring the Benefits and Risks?

Babies need them, and teenagers are known for them – but when it comes to adults, napping has become somewhat of a taboo topic in recent years. Usually, we tell ourselves that we should be able to function without them and are left feeling guilty on the days we can’t.

But are there any real reasons that we should be avoiding daytime naps? In this guide, we’ll look at whether or not it is healthy to nap as an adult.

Pro: It can be necessary if you’re sleep deprived

If you’ve got a busy lifestyle, it may just be that your body needs a little more rest at the moment than other people do – and ultimately, it can do more harm than good to deny yourself of that during the day if that is when your body is asking for it.

An excellent example of this is a new mom who may be struggling to get any good quality sleep at night or a professional who has been working long hours. If you fall asleep at your desk or feel your concentration faltering, it may be your body telling you that it needs some time to catch up on rest to keep you healthy.

Pro: It increases your alertness and productivity

Napping can help combat drowsiness and increase your overall alertness. A short nap of 20-30 minutes can provide a quick boost of energy and improve cognitive function, memory, and focus. It can enhance your productivity and help you perform better in tasks that require mental acuity.

Pro: It can support your mood and mental wellbeing

Similarly, there are mental health benefits to taking a nap when you need it. Doing so has been found to improve mood, lower stress levels, and promote relaxation. Lack of sleep may exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression and has the potential to worsen manic and depressive episodes in people with bipolar disorder.

So, if you fall into one of these categories or if you’ve been feeling particularly overwhelmed or stressed, your brain might just need a little bit of time to switch off in the form of a good rest.

Pro: It has health benefits

Regular napping has been associated with various health benefits. It can help regulate blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve cardiovascular health. Napping has also been linked to a lower risk of certain health conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.

Pro: Supports your immune system

We’re usually advised to rest when we’re not feeling very well – and for good reason. Sleeping boosts our immune system response in many ways, such as supporting the T cells in our bodies, a type of white blood cell that fights off infection. Sleep also helps to control the levels of cytokines and norepinephrine in our bodies, two chemicals that help to reduce inflammation and ultimately aid the body in fighting infection.

Con: Disrupts nighttime sleep

There’s no harm in napping for an hour or so every once in a while if you’ve had a night of bad-quality sleep. However, if you get into the habit of napping for longer than this, you may turn your sleep cycle on its head and start to find yourself sleeping through the day and tossing and turning every night.

This is problematic for an array of reasons. But ultimately, we all want to be able to sleep when the rest of the world is asleep and to be awake and fully present for our loved ones throughout the day.

Con: Disrupts our circadian rhythm

This leads nicely to our next point, as an upside-down sleep schedule can wreak havoc on some of the body’s internal clock. As we know, we are built to get sleepy as the sun sets and to start to awaken upon sunrise. This is our natural circadian rhythm – you may know it as your “body clock.”

When our internal clock is functioning well, it allows for the regulation of various processes such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and body temperature.

Inhibiting this system can be detrimental to our health, including increased chances of developing diabetes and cancer.

Con: Can cause sleep inertia

That groggy feeling that you get when you first wake up from a nap is called sleep inertia. It can be problematic because it often presents as a temporary impairment in cognitive ability and alertness and can slow your reaction time as well as impair memory and impede your learning ability. Usually, this is temporary, but these symptoms can be long-term if you are particularly sleep deprived.

There are lots of different reasons that sleep inertia might occur, but when it comes to taking naps, waking up too abruptly from a deep or what we call “slow-wave sleep” is one of the probable causes.

Overall, there are potential health benefits and risks associated with napping as an adult – but it depends on your unique situation, as there is no one-size-fits-all. Always consider whether the nap you want to take is something that your body needs at the moment, and if it is, try to limit the nap duration so you can enjoy the benefits and limit the downsides.

Here are a few tips to optimize the effects of napping:

• Keep naps short: Limit naps to 10-20 minutes to avoid entering deeper stages of sleep, reducing the risk of grogginess upon waking and preventing disruption of nighttime sleep.

• Time naps appropriately: Ideally, schedule naps earlier in the afternoon, around midday. Napping too late in the day, especially close to bedtime, can interfere with nighttime sleep.

• Create a conducive nap environment: Find a quiet, dark, and comfortable place to nap, which can help you relax and promote better sleep quality during the nap.

If you observe a consistent need for naps despite getting adequate nighttime sleep, this may be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. We advise seeking a sleep specialist or sleep doctor to address this.

Interested in additional sleep support? Learn more about Sleep Coaching and our Private Practice The Restful Sleep Place.