The mental health-boosting reason we should all be taking more afternoon naps
Do you ever feel guilty about treating yourself to an afternoon nap? It's a simple, yet very satisfying, indulgence that can leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the evening. Well, according to science, we should not be feeling guilty at all. In fact, we are doing ourselves a favour...
Research has revealed that having a short snooze in the daytime can not only boost our sense of wellbeing, but our performance as well, the Mail Online reports.
The University of Hertfordshire team has even come up with a brand new word (which we love!) to sum up the feeling of relaxed contentment you get after a nap: 'nappiness'.
Crucially, however, the amount of time you spend napping is key: your dose should last no longer than 30 minutes. Any longer than this, however, and you'll actually end up feeling less happy than if you hadn't rested at all.
Study leader Professor Richard Wiseman said: "Previous research has shown that naps of under 30 minutes make you more focused, productive and creative, and these new findings suggest ... that you can also become happier by just taking a short nap."
More than 1,000 volunteers took part in the study, conducted for the Edinburgh Science Festival. The majority (66%) of the 'short nappers' in the study who were asked to sleep for half an hour felt happy afterwards.
Meanwhile, only 56% of those who napped for longer reported the same, while 60% of the non-nappers agreed.
On average, short nappers reported a 'happiness score' of 3.67 out of five, no-nappers scored 3.52 and long-nappers 3.44.
So, basically, we could all benefit from resting a bit more – just don't forget to set that alarm!
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