Napping doesn't impair nighttime sleep, research finds

Medicine & Health / Health

Concerned that a midday snooze might ruin a good night's sleep? Fret not; ongoing research from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center indicates that napping has little effect on sleep onset -- and that a nap today may be beneficial for mental processing tomorrow.

People over age 60 sleep two hours less per night than their younger counterparts. Patricia Murphy and Scott Campbell, associate director and director, respectively, of the Human Chronobiology Laboratory at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, have evidence that a midday nap may improve daytime performance and mood in the elderly and others.

Their research subjects are all normal sleepers. "By learning more about how normal people sleep, we may gain a better understanding of what is happening in the bodies and minds of those with sleep disorders," says Murphy.

Study participants spend several sessions in the sleep lab, attached to scalp electrodes and a wrist activity monitor that record their sleep and wakefulness states. They are then asked to perform arithmetic, decision-making and reaction time tests after napping and on the following day.

The subjects showed improved cognitive performance immediately after a nap and into the next day, when compared with days that didn't include (and weren't preceded by a day with) a nap. Napping did not seem to affect nighttime sleep.

Source: Cornell University

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Posted by ComfyRest 10/27/07 06:28

Rank: 5/5 after 1 vote

At the risk of sounding like a spammer there is an alternative remedy for napping in the office or at home. Because I suffered from the pain of a herniated neck disk I couldn't lie on my stomach. I ultimately invented and patented the SquidFace and ComfyRest pillows to relieve my pain. These pillows enable me to lie facedown comfortably and breathe without turning my head to the side. May unexpected benefits evolved including taking a nap at my desk while facedown and still breathe. Hopefully this can help many others. Many of the benefits are on my website. SquidFace.com

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Posted by MongHTan,PhD 10/28/07 09:51

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At the risk of sounding like a spammer there is an alternative remedy for napping in the office or at home. Because I suffered from the pain of a herniated neck disk I couldn't lie on my stomach. I ultimately invented and patented the SquidFace and ComfyRest pillows to relieve my pain. These pillows enable me to lie facedown comfortably and breathe without turning my head to the side. May unexpected benefits evolved including taking a nap at my desk while facedown and still breathe. Hopefully this can help many others. Many of the benefits are on my website. SquidFace.com

Best of luck to your invention!