Conflicting Reports About Napping

March 3, 2010

Should we adopt the siesta? A study was recently presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science showing the benefits of napping on memory. People who napped for 90 minutes after lunch raised their memory recall scores by 10%. However another study just published the the Journal Sleep showed that nappers had a higher chance of having type 2 diabetes.

These studies may sound contradictory, but the results are not surprising. There's no doubt about the benefits of napping on memory and cognitive functioning. The fact that you prefer to nap probably means that you're not able to get deep, efficient sleep at night. This causes hormonal changes that elevate glucose levels and also cause insulin resistance. Poor sleep also causes weight gain, which can aggravate sleep apnea. I'm sure that if you tested these nappers with a higher rate of diabetes, their memory scores will be improved compared to those who are not able to take a nap.

Do you routinely take naps? Please enter your answer in the comments box below.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog
Tagged: ,diabetes, memory, napping, sleep apnea