Why you should sometimes "set aside" your alarm: Scientists have proven that naps can be good for the brain

According to the recent research, hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock in the morning may not be as harmful as previously thought. What's more, for some people, it may improve their level of a  cognitive performance.

Previous studies have focused on the harm that short naps can do to our sleep, suggesting that mini sleep cycles of five to ten minutes have little beneficial effect on our bodies. However, a recent study conducted by scientists from Stockholm University in Sweden and Monash University in Australia refutes this approach. About this writes Sciense Alert.

Read also: Somnologist told that daytime naps are useful for adults

During the study, 31 volunteers were  napping in controlled conditions, and were put to the test. It turned out that a short 30-minute nap in the morning either had no negative impact or even improved their cognitive performance after waking up compared to a normal wake-up without a nap.

According to one of the sleep researchers, Tina Sandelin of Stockholm University, the findings suggest that there's no need to give up on short naps in the morning if you enjoy it, especially if it's a short nap of about 30 minutes. And in fact, it may even help those who usually have trouble with morning sleepiness wake up better.

This 30-minute nap consisted of three periods of about 9-10 minutes each. Compared to total sleep duration, these short naps resulted in an average sleep loss of about 6 minutes per night.

In addition to improving cognitive abilities in some participants, researchers believe that short naps may make it easier to wake up from lighter parts of sleep instead of deep sleep, which may be more beneficial to the body.

The study found no significant differences between nappers and non-nappers regarding mood, stress levels, morning sleepiness, and sleep patterns (the different sleep cycles that normally occur during a night's sleep).

The researchers also surveyed 1,732 volunteers to find out how common it was to use a nap in the morning. According to the survey results, 69% of the responses indicated that they occasionally use short naps or set multiple alarms. Younger people and "overnighters" typically do this, and the average nap time was 22 minutes.

In general, morning sleepiness and shortened sleep duration were common among the nappers. The researchers recognized that short naps can have potential negative effects on sleep, but also point out the possible benefits of this approach. All in all, the choice is yours and depends on your individual routine and needs.

We suggest you also learn tips from sleep experts who have revealed what causes a person to wake up during the night.

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