Why Astronauts Should Take Naps

Firstly, naps have been proven by many scientific studies to provide benefits for people who have unusual work schedules or work for long hours throughout the day. According to "The Secret Truth About Napping" by Maria Allegra, astronauts traveling in space often have inconsistent sleep patterns, and as a result, average about two hours less than usual every night.Mark Rosekind of NASA conducted research about whether astronauts should take naps and found that even a 26-minute nap boosted a pilot's mental performance by 34%. Furthermore, a longer 45-minute nap gave about the same boost but it lasted more than 6 hours. Increased mental performance after taking these naps allows astronauts to be more productive in their work and keep them energized throughout the day.

Certain medical personnel like doctors in training or emergency-room doctors who work very long hours can also benefit from taking naps. In fact, according to "The Secret Truth About Napping" by Maria Allegra", "A team of researchers led by David F. Dinges, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, found that letting subjects nap for as little as 24 minutes improved their
mental performances." This means that even taking a short nap would allow them to make less mistakes, remain alert for long hours, and decrease stress, ultimately allowing them to increase their efficiency and accuracy when working. Wouldn't it be great to be able to get through long hours of work much easier?

Another reason why naps are healthy is that they can help improve students' general performance in school. According to "Ask the Sleep Doctor" Response by Dr. Vesslol. According to "Ask the Sleep Doctor" Response by Dr. Vesslor,l. According to "Ask the Sleep Doctor" Response by Dr. Vesslor, "On nights when you don't get enough sleep, napping can help to recharge your body and increase your mental alertness...Studies show that taking a short nap after learning new information may help you remember that information better...You will most likely wake up refreshed and have more energy to focus on your homework." Taking a short power nap after school would, therefore, improve your concentration and focus and allow you to retain and learn information more effectively while working on homework or studying for a test, in addition to feeling less tired. For some students, this could ultimately lead to higher test scores or even increased participation and motivation to learn new things in the classroom.

Lastly, people should take naps more frequently because many long-term health benefits have been associated with regular napping. According to "Ask the Sleep Doctor" Response by Dr. Vesslor, in 2007, a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health discovered that people who took 30 minute naps at least three time a week were 37% likely to die heart disease and those that only napped for less than 30 minutes or napped once or twice per week were still 12% less likely to die from heart disease. Relating to this evidence, many people don't take naps because they simply think they don't have enough time to nap for long hours everyday, however, as this study shows, even taking short naps once or twice throughout a week can provide benefits.

In addition, in a 2011 study, researchers at Allegheny College found that napping was a factor in lowering blood pressure after mental stress. People who took a 45 minute nap daily had, on average, a lower blood pressure after taking a mental stress test than those who didn't have one. Reduced stress improves physical and mental health, enhances memory and focus, helps decrease irritability and anger, and even lengthen your lifespan!

Some people, however, may disagree that naps are healthy. For example, in Scientific Power of Naps (Video) by AsapScience, it states, "Beyond 30 minutes you enter stage three and experience something known as sleep inertia when awakened. Because your body is coming out of a deep sleep, motor dexterity is decreased while grogginess and the longing to go back to sleep increases." Sleep inertia is certainly an issue for many nappers, but there is a way to combat it without feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep. According to How to Nap: A Dose of Science (video) by Dr. Milstein, there are two ways to wake up in light sleep. He suggests setting a timer to nap 30 minutes or less so you can just arrive at light sleep, or taking a longer 90 to 100 minute nap as to go through one complete sleep cycle (light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep) and return back to light sleep feeling refreshed. Simply stated, sleep inertia can be prevented beforehand by taking either a short nap or long nap, but nothing in between as to wake up in deep sleep. Strategically planning the length of your nap as to wake up in light sleep will allow you to receive all the benefits described in Scientific Power of Naps (video) by AsapSCIENCE including increased productivity, increased cognitive function, enhanced memory, boosted creativity, and decreased sleepiness, and without experiencing grogginess after waking up.

In conclusion, I believe that naps are very beneficial and people should take them more regularly.
Naps can benefit individuals who have work schedules that make it difficult to get enough sleep, such as medical workers and astronauts, by increasing their mental performance and keeping them energized throughout the day. Because power naps have been proven to boost memory and learning, increase mental alertness, renews your energy, and improve your mood, taking a short nap can enhance a student's performance in school, whether academically, socially, or emotionally. In addition, many long term health benefits have been correlated with regular napping including reduced stress and even lowering your risk of dying from heart disease! Now that you're aware of all the benefits of a nap, I'm sure you would enjoy a quick snooze
yourself!