My Health and Wellness Blog - Wednesday's Entry

My Health and Wellness Blog - Wednesday's Entry   

"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything."

  --Thich Nhat Hanh

I am resolving to eat well, be well, and feel great!

Well today I found myself wanting a nap so bad that just after lunch I investigated power napping and discovered that in fact the experts are actually recommending an afternoon nap in order to maintain good health and well being.  They basically said that I should not be fighting my  biological clock, particularly if I eat a heavy meal for lunch .  And indeed I had.

• Taking a quick power nap  for a few minutes, will improve the capacity of my memory.
• A brief power nap refreshes the brain and will greatly improve my concentration, awareness, and the efficiency of my memory.
• It appears that a power nap of only six minutes might have the same effect on my memory as an overnight rest.
• Researchers asked students to memorize a list of words and tested their ability to recall them from their memory after an hour of playing solitaire.  The students had to remember 30 words. They let the students rest for an hour before passing the memory test. During the break some of the students slept for six minutes while the others stayed awake.  The scientists showed that those who slept for a while showed exceptional memory skills compared with those who stayed awake.
• It is known that with increasing age, people sleep less at night, which is not good for  health.  A power nap can substitute the deficit of not sleeping at night.  (Boy this is wonderful news for me)
• Chronic sleep loss leads to attention problems, concentration problems, data processing speed problems, short-term memory and decision-making problems. Indeed, the chronic sleep deprivation is a risk factor for developing obesity and diabetes.
• The satisfaction of my biological need for a power nap, will improve both my  physical and mental state.

The experts also recommend taking a power nap between 2pm and 4pm. It is not suggested to take a power nap after 5pm.  So I decided to not feel guilty and I laid down this afternoon with my 3 year old grandaughter and we both took our naps, and I woke up feeling great, and after all it is all about eating well, being well, & feeling great!