Daily Power Naps Reverse Damage From Sleep Deprivation

Power napping can help heal damage tissues from lack of sleep, a study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism said.

This research conducted by Dr Brice Faraut of the Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, did an experiment among eleven healthy men with ages 25-32 who are made to have only 2-3 hours of sleep at night and a 30-minute nap at day time. These men are also given a recovery night of sleep after the testing period, reports from the Daily Mail said.

"Our data suggests a 30-minute nap can reverse the hormonal impact of a night of poor sleep. This is the first study that found napping could restore biomarkers of neuroendocrine and immune health to normal levels. Napping may offer a way to counter the damaging effects of sleep restriction by helping the immune and neuroendocrine systems to recover," Dr. Faraut said.

A similar study reported in the CBS San Francisco also reaffirms these findings.

 Dr. Rafael Pelayo from Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences included men who suffer sleep deprivation in the study and how getting a 30-minute nap in the morning can alleviate one's condition by decreasing surges of noradrenaline, a fight or flight hormone, and make one feel better again.

However, Dr. Pelayo stressed that nap times should be regulated.

"If you take a longer nap, over an hour, you may feel worse, you may feel confused. Short naps is what we really want people to do," he said.

Meanwhile, TechTimes said that power naps should only be limited to 10-20 minutes to boost energy levels and alertness. A 30-minute nap is said to make one feel tired 'feeling sluggish or with a sleep hangover.'