Is it good to sleep during the day? The feasibility of daytime sleep for adults. Benefits of daytime sleep

Daytime sleep has a good effect on the human cardiovascular system. For example, having slept for about an hour after severe stress, the pressure will return to normal. The body will recover, and the person can work again. The article is useful or harmful to sleep during the day, this issue is discussed in detail.

Many people think that they should take an afternoon nap after a hard first half of the day. For example, Churchill argued that a nap after dinner helps restore the clear thinking that is needed to make the right decisions. It was he who coined the term "restorative sleep". And he said that between lunch and dinner, you always need to get some sleep.

Let's take a look at the effects of daytime sleep on the body. Restores vitality. After just 30 minutes of sleep, attention and efficiency return to the person. That being said, short naps won't lead to a bad night's sleep.

Prevents burnout. Constantly a person is exposed to stress, exhaustion of mental and emotional forces. Daytime sleep provides an opportunity to rethink situations, reduce stress and restore the body.

Enhances sensory perception. After sleep, the sharpness of the sense organs (taste, hearing, vision) increases in a person. His creative activity increases, the brain was able to relax and give out new ideas. Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you sleep during the day at least 3 times a week, then the risk of heart disease will decrease by 40%. According to scientists, daytime sleep is the strongest weapon against myocardial infarction. Increases performance. As medical studies show, most workers have a less productive second half of the day. However, having slept after lunch for only 30 minutes, a person’s productivity is restored similar to that at the beginning of the working day.

Can you sleep at work? For most people, resting in bed after dinner is simply not an option. Many employers today have already changed their attitude to the daytime sleep of their employees. In order to sleep, you need to find a cozy and calm place. However, it is easiest to do this for those who travel by car. You can set the seat in a comfortable position for yourself and get some sleep. A personal office is perfect for this, especially if there is a comfortable chair.

You need to sleep regularly. You should try to regularly allocate time for daily sleep. This will establish a daily biorhythm and increase productivity. You need to sleep a little. If a person sleeps soundly and for a long time, then a feeling of disorientation and a state of intoxication will appear. Optimal time for snooze. Therefore, you should always set an alarm so as not to oversleep. In addition, long sleep during the day will affect the quality of sleep at night. Try to sleep without light. Light always affects a person, gives him a signal to act. At the same time, darkness tells the body that it's time to get ready for bed. If it is not possible to turn off the light, you can use a special sleep bandage.

Plaid. As you know, during sleep in the human body slows down metabolism and breathing rate. The temperature drops a little. For a comfortable sleep, you need to use a blanket or a light bedspread. Sleep during the day helps to preserve the beauty. It will interest women. Therefore, taking a little nap, a person makes himself more beautiful. As you know, the condition of the skin is directly dependent on how the body rests. To do this, it is better to choose a dream in the interval from 12 to 15 hours. Even better if you manage to sleep in the open air, or at least with an open window. While resting, you should think about something good.

Contraindications for sleeping during the day. Admittedly, in some cases daytime sleep is simply useless. And sometimes it can be harmful. For example, it is best for a person suffering from insomnia not to go to bed at all during the day. Otherwise, you will have to stay awake all night. Daytime sleep is also harmful for those who are prone to various kinds of depression, the condition of such a person can only worsen. You should not sleep more than 90 minutes during the day, otherwise the body's biorhythms are disturbed, which is very bad. And most importantly, you need to change your attitude towards those who like to sleep during the day. This is not a sign of laziness, but rather, on the contrary, they are one of the most productive and intelligent people.

So, let's sum it up. Sleep will eliminate daytime sleepiness, which will lead to fewer accidents and reduce the chance of making mistakes while performing tasks that require a high concentration of attention. Increases human reaction by about 16%. Perfectly improves long-term memory. Good for assimilating information. Following all the recommendations, daytime sleep will benefit a person and improve his health and well-being. But after analyzing this information, decide for yourself whether daytime sleep will bring you benefit or, on the contrary, only harm.

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Sometimes after a daytime sleep you feel alert and full of energy, and sometimes even more overwhelmed. So is it good for adults to sleep during the day? We dealt with somnologists together.

Is daytime sleep good?

It is too early to talk about the benefits of daytime sleep from a medical point of view, not a single study has been conducted that would prove that daytime sleep can increase life expectancy or, for example, reduce the risk of developing various diseases, explains Mikhail Poluektov, a somnologist, candidate medical sciences. - But what doctors know for sure: a short daytime sleep improves productivity, immunity and improves mood. It allows you to sort of reboot amid high mental or physical stress. It is best to sleep for about an hour and a half, because this is the time that makes up the normal sleep cycle for a person.

Daytime sleep, in principle, does not differ from nighttime sleep in terms of a set of sleep stages, - explains Elena Tsareva, a somnologist, head of the Unison somnological service. - But there may be differences in the duration of the stages. With lower levels of melatonin during the day compared to night and the presence of external stimuli (light, noise, phone calls, etc.), there may be fewer deep stages of sleep, and more superficial ones. The rate of falling asleep can also be reduced for the same reasons.

Research has found that if you fall asleep during a period of reduced daytime activity (these are different times for owls and larks), you are more likely to wake up with a heavy head and even more drowsiness. Falling asleep for a short period after sunset is more likely to disrupt nighttime sleep due to the jet lag effect on melatonin production.

How to sleep during the day

2. It is important to create conditions for falling asleep (a darkened room, limiting external stimuli - up to the use of earplugs and a sleep mask).

3. A number of large companies even create special rooms for recuperation in a few minutes amid high stress.

If you feel sleepy while driving

At home or at work, you can find time to relax (at least during your lunch break in the break room). If it doesn’t work out, yes, it’s unpleasant that fatigue can affect performance, but still it’s not critical. But the feeling of fatigue and, as a result, a possible loss of concentration while driving can lead to much more serious consequences. What should motorists who really want to sleep do? Experts here agree.

There is a shortened version of daytime sleep, which is recommended for motorists, says Mikhail Poluektov. - If you suddenly feel sleepy while driving, it is recommended to pull over to the side of the road and sleep for 20 minutes. Where did this time period come from? After a 20-minute sleep, there is usually a fall into a deeper sleep. And when a person wakes up after a deep sleep, he may experience the phenomenon of such a “sleep intoxication”, he does not immediately come to his senses, does not immediately acquire the necessary skills, for example, to drive vehicles.

According to the duration of daytime sleep, there is a study that shows that sleeping more than 20 minutes does more harm to performance than 10-15 minutes, Elena Tsareva agrees. - This is just due to the fact that the likelihood of going into deep sleep increases, during which awakening is more difficult, and the head after that is “heavier”.

When do somnologists prescribe naps?

The most common problem that people still decide to turn to somnologists for is sleep disorders at night. And the advice popular among the people “didn’t sleep well at night - then sleep during the day” is fundamentally erroneous. After all, people suffering from insomnia, having slept during the daytime, simply "steal" part of their night's sleep. So in what case will doctors still prescribe you daytime sleep?

Somnologists recommend daytime sleep only if they are sure that a person has one of the rare diseases, such as narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia, says Poluektov. - Both of these diseases are accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness. And in these cases, the so-called planned falling asleep during daylight hours allow a person to maintain attention and the level of performance.

Daytime sleep is physiological for children under 7 years old, adds Elena Tsareva. - Adults do not need it normally. In adults, daytime sleep is a sign of either a lack or poor quality of night sleep, or an excess of the body's reserves in adapting to stress. Most often this is observed in a forced situation: with a shift work schedule or in case of a sleep deficit of more than 8 hours (for example, in young parents or "owls" who get up earlier than the desired time to adapt to social limits). Daytime naps are not suitable for people who already have sleep problems such as difficulty falling asleep at night or nocturnal awakenings, or shifting sleep patterns. In these cases, nighttime sleep can become even worse. Especially often this is faced by people who are not bound by the framework of social obligations (work, study) and can be in bed when they want (for example, freelancers).

If there is a need for daytime sleep, then this is an occasion to think about talking with a somnologist and undergoing a sleep study (polysomnography). Recently, this has become possible at home. So it may turn out that daytime sleep, like snoring, will be just a sign of disturbed nighttime sleep. When healthy sleep is restored, the need for daytime sleep disappears.

Can you sleep during the day?

“Sometimes you just need to sleep between lunch and dinner. I do so. Sleeping in the daytime doesn't make you have less time - that's what unimaginative fools think. You will have even more time, because you will have two days in one ... " Winston Churchill (lived to be 91 years old!)

Sleep is helpful. Some people take this thesis to heart so much that they gladly take the opportunity to lie down, including practicing daytime sleep. Others simply follow the call of the body and, on a whim, sleep during the day. But there are those who believe that the daytime sleep of an adult is weakness, excess and a manifestation of laziness. Who to believe?

The benefits of daytime sleep

To begin with, we will dispel the myth that only loafers rest during the day. Daytime sleep is useful, it is not questioned! Many very successful people slept and sleep during the day - take, for example, the brilliant politician Winston Churchill, who is so conveniently mentioned in the epigraph to this article. Many of our contemporaries also take the opportunity to sleep during the day. For example, the famous Russian marketer Roman Maslennikov says that he became an entrepreneur largely because of the free schedule and the attractive opportunity to sleep during the day. By the way, he even wrote a book about this - "The whole truth about daytime sleep." Recommended reading!

The benefits of daytime sleep are undeniable, it has been studied by scientists and proven. Specialists from the University of California interviewed several hundred people who regularly practice 20-minute sleep. Abroad, it is called power napping (our compatriots, out of love for the classics, call daytime naps "Stirlitz's dream"). All these people filled out special questionnaires, and then the data was analyzed.

Now the question of whether daytime sleep is useful and why it is so good can be answered very specifically: it increases concentration and performance by 30-50%. In addition, all people who sleep during the day notice that a short rest improves mood, gives strength and reduces irritability.

Other medical studies, during which objective changes in the human condition were studied, say that daytime sleep improves nerve conduction and motor reactions by 16%. And if it is practiced regularly, it even reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Is it possible to sleep during the day for a person who sleeps well at night? Yes, although in this case, daytime sleep is not at all necessary. However, if you sleep little at night, your nighttime sleep is disturbed by external causes, your work quickly tires or the body requires daytime sleep, then you really need it!

Spending 20 minutes on a dream, you more than compensate for this small loss of time with a surge of efficiency and enthusiasm!

And now - to practice. Here are a few rules to keep your daytime naps from showing up. their dark sides and help you get all the "bonuses" due from him.

The duration of daytime sleep should be limited in time. The optimum is minutes. At first glance it seems that this is very little, but even such a short period of rest is enough to freshen up. The brain does not yet have time to move to a deep slow sleep, from which it is impossible to “get out” easily.

If you didn't get enough sleep the night before, daytime sleep can be extended by up to a minute or even up to 1.5 hours (according to the duration of one sleep cycle).
If you are inexorably sleepy, but there is practically no time for a nap, even take advantage of this opportunity to fall asleep. A couple of years ago, it was proven that a 10-minute sleep gives strength and vigor for an entire hour! Surely, as students, many fell asleep at lectures. Remember the surge of fun and excitement upon awakening? But this is all he is - daytime sleep :).

The duration of daytime sleep is ideally small. But this does not mean that it should be treated as an insignificant episode of life! You have to make sure no one breaks it. If you have 2-3 awakenings during the "legitimate" half hour, daytime sleep will not bring the desired effect.
Many people have difficulty falling asleep in the presence of light and noise. If you are also one of them, create ideal conditions in the room where you are going to sleep: silence, blackout (in which case an eye mask and earplugs will help you), a comfortable bed. Although when you sleep during the day, it is not necessary to undress and go to bed: if you do not have a strong will, you can oversleep the moment of awakening and spend much more time in a dream than expected. And “daytime” clothes and a sofa instead of a bed is what disciplines you at least a little. People who decide to take a nap at work (this is not always, but possible) are even easier: they especially don’t have a choice between a bed and a sofa (couch?) :).
Some people are uncomfortable with the idea that they will have to "fall out" from the daily hustle and bustle for some time. Take it easy; nothing will happen in half an hour without you (unless, of course, you are a truck driver, an air traffic controller or an operator of a nuclear power plant). You may not be able to fall asleep the first time. Or maybe even a few attempts at daytime sleep will be unsuccessful. But time will pass, and you will learn to completely calmly “turn off” during the day, moreover, in any conditions. For example, abroad, office workers who do not have a rest room at work go to the parking lot during their lunch break and sleep peacefully in their cars.
It is better to plan the daytime sleep of an adult for a time no later than the hours of the day. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, this is the time when the body is most in need of rest, so you will fall asleep faster. Secondly, if you delay falling asleep too late, waking up after a daytime nap will be quite late, and this can disrupt nighttime sleep.
When setting an alarm for the time of awakening, do not forget that in addition to the minutes of sleep, you still need to give yourself a little time to fall asleep, and this is another 5-15 minutes. It’s better to take this into account, otherwise you will be nervous that you are about to wake up, and you won’t be able to fall asleep.
If you have traditional difficulties with waking up and are afraid to sleep longer than expected, help yourself. Just before going to bed, drink ... coffee or strong tea. The caffeine from these drinks does not take effect immediately, but minutes later, just in time for you to get up. As a result, you will wake up easier.
Slight lethargy, “wadding” of muscles and weakness are normal “consequences” of sleep. It is possible that waking up after a daytime sleep will also be accompanied by these signs. To cheer up faster, do some light exercise, turn on a bright light or go to the window - and the dream will take off like a hand. In return, cheerfulness, good mood and fresh ideas will come.

Does daytime sleep have a future?

Daytime sleep is useful - there is no doubt about it. If it is planned and "executed" correctly, then it will become your unsurpassed cure for fatigue! Unfortunately, things usually do not go beyond reasoning about its benefits.

In September 2013, "sleep strikes" took place in Moscow - office workers took to the streets and slept (or simulated sleep) right there: on the steps of business centers, at bus stops and in other public places. It was a message to employers: an opaque allusion to the need for rest and naps in the workplace. For the most part, bosses answered unequivocally: most said they were not ready to pay their employees for sleep during working hours.

But not everyone remained indifferent. Focusing on the examples of Google, Apple and other progressive companies with a worldwide reputation, the heads of some large Russian firms and enterprises began to organize rest rooms for their employees. They even bought sleeping capsules - special devices for comfortable sleep, with which ordinary hard workers do not need to exercise their ingenuity (see photo).

You can see what sleeping capsules look like in this video:

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of working people, useful daytime sleep remains a dream, and the question: “Is it possible to sleep during the day?” they can only answer one thing: “Yes, but, unfortunately, we do not have the opportunity to do this!” Alas…

Read other interesting articles on this topic:

Daytime sleep - is it necessary? The benefits and harms of daytime sleep for adults

It is believed that daytime sleep is the lot of preschoolers. However, this assertion is completely unfounded. What's more, a growing number of doctors around the world are "prescribing" daytime sleep for adults as a means of relieving stress, recuperation, and eliminating fatigue.

So does an adult need daytime sleep or is it enough just to get enough sleep at night? If you know all the advantages and difficulties of such a dream and use them correctly, then the answer is definitely yes, you need it!

Daytime sleep allows you to cheer up, restore mental clarity and energy. A short break after lunch allows you to remain equally effective throughout the day, especially in adverse weather conditions or monotonous work.

Half an hour of sleep during the daytime improves imagination, attentiveness and concentration. That is why many representatives of professions that require concentration try to lie down for a while during the day.

Scientific studies in recent years show that daytime sleep reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, helps to cope with the onset of viral diseases and stress. In addition, a short daytime sleep supports the regeneration processes in the body, which means that while you sleep, you become younger!

To relieve muscle and psychological tension, the benefits of daytime sleep are also difficult to overestimate! This is a kind of reboot for the whole organism, after which all systems are debugged, especially the system of neuro-humoral regulation. Overcoming complex problems, finding the right solution or the right words - all this is possible in a dream, so when you wake up, you will already know the answer to the question that occupied you.

Meanwhile, many of us have verified from our own experience that sometimes after a daytime sleep you feel even more overwhelmed. What is the reason for such a reaction?

The fact is that too much sleep during the day leads to violations of the internal perception of time. The brain falls asleep too deeply and goes into deep sleep. Waking up at this time, you will feel tired, and your head will be "as if in a fog." There may also be a headache, a drop in blood pressure, and a general feeling of weakness.

So what is daytime sleep - good or bad?

There are several rules that will allow you to take full advantage of the benefits of daytime sleep for adults.

Go to bed between 12:00 and 15:00, no more than a minute.
Sleep in the coolest place in the room. If possible, open the window. Fresh air will help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep.
It is very important to properly tune in to the fact that the dream will be short. It is best if it takes place in a place different from the night bed. Sit in a comfortable position, think of something positive, or put on soothing, relaxing music.
Try not to overeat before bed.
Set an alarm for 40 minutes, but when you wake up, do not jump up immediately, but lie down for a few more minutes, gently stretching. Such a leisurely transition from sleep to wakefulness will further enhance the benefits of daytime sleep.
If you work in an office and your lunch break lasts 1 hour, use half that time for naps. To do this, sit comfortably in your place, lean on the table, put your head on your folded hands and move back a little in a chair so that your back takes an almost horizontal position. In this position, all your muscles will be relaxed enough to have time to rest.
Young mothers can arrange a "quiet hour" with their child. A short break in the middle of the day will allow a tired woman to recuperate, reduce the effects of stress and routine.
If your lifestyle does not allow you to build daytime sleep into your daily routine, then use weekends for it. Even one daytime nap a week brings enormous benefits to an adult!

What to do if you can't sleep?

Daytime sleep for adults is a matter of habit. In order to learn how to fall asleep easily and also wake up easily after dinner, you will need some time.

Create a short bedtime ritual for yourself, similar to the evening one, but shorter. It can be 2 actions that will become a kind of signal for the body. They should always be the same and go in the same order.

Here is an approximate list of those actions that are usually included in the daily ritual of laying. All of them take less than 5 minutes of time, but with regular use they help to quickly and efficiently fall asleep.

Washing with warm water.
Self-massage of the fingers, base of the neck and ears.
A glass of warm (not hot) tea, drunk in small sips.
Soothing melodies, songs and lullabies - for example, as on the disc of Natalia Faustova.
Inhalation of essential oil of lavender or mint, 1-2 drops of which can be applied to a handkerchief and carried with you.
Soft warm bandage covering the eyes.
A special "envelope" where you can put your feet freed from shoes.

If you're still not sure if you need a nap, try napping in the afternoon at least 3 times a week. You will be surprised how fresh and rested you will feel afterwards!

According to statistics, every person at least once in his life experiences certain problems with sleep. That is why it is so important to know the methods of dealing with insomnia, even if at the moment it seems that you do not need them at all. We have collected for you the best techniques for falling asleep quickly, which do not require special training and are suitable for absolutely everyone.

We have collected for you 10 best ideas on how to relax in the evening after work. These simple and effective tips will help you establish your own sleep schedule, which means you will feel rested and full of energy!

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“Just a little more, and I’ll definitely sleep!” Who doesn't know these kinds of conversations with themselves? TV, Internet, books, work… Our life is full of things that we want to spend time on, and it’s a pity to waste it on sleep!

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It’s hard to surprise me, a composer-arranger, but “Lullaby for the whole family” simply fascinated me! I confess, I even cried a little, which was not observed for many years. The voice is soulful, kind, affectionate, gentle - so dear, which only a mother has. Listening to you, you feel a warm light, and the world no longer seems so cruel and insensitive. Long forgotten sensations and dreams of childhood wake up. We were pleased with the arrangements of the songs - a careful, tactful attitude to the source material, without annoying patterns and annoying "bouncing" rhythm. Sorry, I do not know the author of the arrangements, but I want to express my admiration and respect.

Is it good to sleep during the day?

Daytime sleep helps the brain to “reboot”, look at the problem from the other side and make the right decision.

Sleeping during the day is useful and necessary, and this fact is recognized by sleep experts. Daytime sleep has a beneficial effect on the state of the cardiovascular system. If you sleep within 45 - 60 minutes after a strong stressful situation, then the jumped blood pressure drops and returns to normal. The body is restored, and the person is ready to work again.

Many successful people believe that they need to poke in the afternoon after a busy first half of the day:

Winston Churchill first coined the term "restorative sleep", arguing that an afternoon nap helped restore the clarity of thought needed for decision making in wartime. He argued that you need to get some sleep between lunch and dinner.

Margaret Thatcher strictly forbade assistants to disturb her between 14.30 and 15.30, because that was when she was resting.

Bill Clinton also asked not to be disturbed at 3 pm.

Leonardo da Vinci slept several times a day, so he worked at night.

Napoleon Bonaparte did not deny himself daytime sleep.

Although Thomas Edison was not enthusiastic about his habit of sleeping during the day, he performed this ritual daily.

Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, recuperated her energy with an afternoon nap before important speeches.

President John F. Kennedy dined daily in bed and then slept soundly.

Other famous day nappers are Albert Einstein, Johannes Brahms.

How does daytime sleep affect the state of the body?

Daytime sleep prevents "burnout". In the modern world, people run, run without stopping, striving to achieve their goals. And in this run without a break, a person is subject to stress, exhaustion of physical and mental strength, and disappointment. Daytime sleep restores the body, reduces stress, makes it possible to rethink the situation.

Sleep enhances sensory perception. Daytime sleep allows you to increase the sharpness of the senses (vision, hearing, taste). After sleep, creativity increases, because the brain relaxes and new ideas arise.

Daytime sleep reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who sleep during the day at least 3 times a week, reduce the risk of heart disease by 40%. Scientists say that daytime sleep is a powerful weapon against myocardial infarction.

Daytime sleep improves performance. Many medical studies have found that workers become unproductive in the afternoon. And just 30 minutes of naps is enough to restore worker productivity and restore productivity to levels it had at the start of the day.

Daytime nap at work

For most of us, relaxing after dinner, and even in bed, is absolutely inaccessible. Many companies are changing their attitude towards the daytime rest of employees and becoming more loyal. It is easiest to find a quiet place for daytime sleep for those who travel by car. You can retire in the car, set the seat in a comfortable position and sleep. Also, it is good for those who have a separate office with a comfortable chair. And it's best for freelancers who work from home so they can get into bed and take a good nap.

The habit of sleeping during the day reduces the risk of death from a heart attack by almost 40%, experts have found

Sleep regularly. Try to set aside time for daytime sleep every day. This will allow you to establish daily biorhythms and increase productivity.

Sleep a little. If you sleep long and hard, then there is a state of intoxication, a feeling of disorientation. It is recommended to sleep a minute. Set an alarm on your phone so you don't oversleep. Also, a long daytime sleep can affect the quality of night sleep.

Without light. Light acts on the human body as a signal to action. The body's natural response to darkness is to "shut down" or "go into standby mode." If there is no way to turn off the light, you can use a sleep bandage.

Plaid. During sleep, the metabolism slows down, the breathing rate becomes slower, and the body temperature slightly decreases. Therefore, it is better to use a light bedspread or blanket during sleep to feel more comfortable.

Be careful. Of course, a sleeping colleague on the table can cause laughter and banter, especially if he wears an ostrich pillow (which you can sleep in anywhere). But this is not fatal, and healthy laughter has a beneficial effect on the body. If you are embarrassed to sleep under the general attention, then you can use the pantry, the meeting room, but best of all, your own car.

Contraindications for daytime sleep

In some cases, daytime sleep is absolutely useless, and sometimes it can even hurt.

People who suffer from insomnia are better off not sleeping during the day, because at night they may not fall asleep at all.

It is also better to avoid daytime sleep for those who are prone to depression, because the condition may worsen.

In order not to disrupt the biorhythms of the body, which is absolutely not useful, you can sleep no more than 90 minutes during the day.

And it is important to change your attitude towards people who like to take a nap during the day. Because they are by no means lazy. Rather, they are one of the most intelligent and productive people.

Medication Instructions

Daytime sleep helps the brain to “reboot”, look at the problem from the other side and make the right decision.

Many successful people believe that they need to poke in the afternoon after a busy first half of the day:

Winston Churchill coined the term "restorative sleep" for the first time, arguing that an afternoon nap helped restore the clarity of thought necessary for making decisions in wartime. He argued that you need to get some sleep between lunch and dinner.

Margaret Thatcher strictly forbade assistants to disturb her between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm, because that was when she was resting.

Bill Clinton also asked not to disturb him at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Leonardo da Vinci I slept several times a day, so I worked at night.

Napoleon Bonaparte did not deny himself daytime sleep.

Though, Thomas Edison was not delighted with his habit of sleeping during the day, he performed this ritual daily.

Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, regained her energy with an afternoon nap before important speeches.

The president John Kennedy dined daily in bed, and then slept sweetly.

Other famous day nappers are Albert Einstein, Johannes Brahms.

Daytime sleep prevents "burnout". In the modern world, people run, run without stopping, striving to achieve their goals. And in this run without a break, a person is subject to stress, exhaustion of physical and mental strength, and disappointment.

Daytime sleep restores the body, reduces stress, makes it possible to rethink the situation.

Sleep enhances sensory perception. Daytime sleep allows you to increase the sharpness of the senses (vision, hearing, taste). After sleep, creativity increases, because the brain relaxes and new ideas arise.

Daytime sleep reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who sleep during the day at least 3 times a week, reduce the risk of heart disease by 40%. Scientists say that daytime sleep is a powerful weapon against myocardial infarction .

Daytime sleep improves performance. Many medical studies have found that workers become unproductive in the afternoon. And just 30 minutes of naps is enough to restore worker productivity and restore productivity to levels it had at the start of the day.

Daytime nap at work

The habit of sleeping during the day reduces the risk of death from a heart attack by almost 40%, experts have found

Sleep regularly. Try to set aside time for daytime sleep every day. This will allow you to establish daily biorhythms and increase productivity.

Sleep a little. If you sleep long and hard, then there is a state of intoxication, a feeling of disorientation. It is recommended to sleep 20-30 minutes. Set an alarm on your phone so you don't oversleep. Also, a long daytime sleep can affect the quality of night sleep.

Without light. Light acts on the human body as a signal to action. The body's natural response to darkness is to "shut down" or "go into standby mode." If there is no way to turn off the light, you can use a sleep bandage.

Plaid. During sleep, the metabolism slows down, the breathing rate becomes slower, and the body temperature slightly decreases. Therefore, it is better to use a light bedspread or blanket during sleep to feel more comfortable.

Be careful. Of course, a sleeping colleague on the table can cause laughter and banter, especially if he wears ostrich pillow(in which you can sleep anywhere). But this is not fatal, and healthy laughter has a beneficial effect on the body. If you are embarrassed to sleep under the general attention, then you can use the pantry, the meeting room, but best of all, your own car.

Dear friends, I welcome you to the pages of the Sleepy Cantata website.

Today we will talk about daytime sleep, which we call a nap, and in hot countries a siesta.

There are many conflicting opinions about the benefits of daytime sleep. : You can't sleep during the day. On the contrary, doctors recommend a short rest as a prevention of heart and mental illness.

Medical Benefits of Siesta

Positive effect on the brain: improves concentration and perception of new information.

German researchers conducted a curious experiment. Two groups of volunteers were asked to memorize the same amount of words. Then the subjects from the first group moved on to another activity, and the second group went to take a nap (while not falling into a deep sleep).

At the end of the experiment, tests showed that those who slept remembered much more words. You can read more about how sleep helps study.

The state of complete relaxation and peace during sleep relieves which helps to prevent stress and get rid of nervousness.

A short nap during the day increases the level of hormones of joy, endorphins and serotonin, respectively. Remember that feeling of grace in the body that you experience when you take a little nap? It is they, the hormones of happiness, that have resumed their work.

The risk of strokes and heart attacks is reduced by 37 percent those people who allow themselves to "pokemar" half an hour in the afternoon.

When can I sleep

Doctors consider the most useful time for a siesta from one o'clock in the afternoon to 15 o'clock. But if you are overwhelmed, lie down and sleep, even if it is 16 or 19 hours. 30 minutes of sleep will bring much more benefits than resisting your nature with strong tea, coffee, energy drinks and so on.

Sleep is like meditation

Scientists have found that in a state of drowsiness, the human brain emits the same waves as when immersed in trance, hypnosis, deep meditation.

In a drowsy state, our contact with reality is broken, and with the subconscious the closest: we can visit new ideas, come up with solutions to difficult situations, we can see . If you wake up a person in this state, then he is unlikely to understand that he was sleeping.

The transitional state between wakefulness and sleep gives the whole organism: soul, brain, body (if, of course, you are comfortably located).

Salvador Dali, a Spanish artist, was very fond of moments of daytime relaxation. The story describes his siesta in this way: sitting comfortably in an armchair, Salvador took a spoon in his hand, and put a metal tray on the floor.

When he fell asleep, the fingers of his hand unclenched, and the spoon fell with a crash onto the tray. The artist woke up from the noise. Those moments that he spent between deep sleep and activity were enough for him to get a burst of energy.

How much sleep during the day, so as not to harm health

For sleep to bring vigor and refresh your head, try not to dive into the deep stage, which occurs about 30 minutes after falling asleep. In order not to oversleep, you can resort to the achievements of civilization: alarm clocks, reminders on your phone, and so on. Or try to sleep like Salvador Dali.

Sleep from 1 to 2 hours. If you decide to rest thoroughly during the daytime siesta, then sleep no more than 2 hours.

Rationale: Somnologists explain this duration of daytime rest.

Plunging into a sleep state, we first go through the stage of drowsiness or superficial sleep, which lasts 5-10 minutes, then sleep spindles “come” with even more relaxation and last about 20 minutes. This is followed by deep sleep, which is called slow sleep.

If you fall into a deep sleep, which happens 30 minutes after falling asleep, then waking up before it ends (its duration is 30-45 minutes) does not bode well for you - fatigue, decreased performance, headaches are possible.

And all because of the most complex internal processes that occur in the body during. These processes must be completed.

So, if you need to cheer up, doctors recommend sleeping up to half an hour without falling into a deep sleep.

But if this failed and you crossed the half-hour line, then let your body finish what it started and sleep more than an hour, but less than 2.

Sleep at work

One can only dream of it, but meanwhile modern society is becoming more and more loyal in this matter. For example, in China and other countries, enterprises are installing special sleep capsules to increase productivity.

If such capsules are not yet in your office, then it can come to the rescue. It will allow you to have a good rest, disconnecting from external stimuli. And your employees will have a reason to laugh a lot while you sleep. Laughter, by the way, also energizes well.

Personal opinion.
I can say from my own experience: daytime sleep is useful, it invigorates perfectly, after a half-hour rest you can move mountains. For me, the main thing is not to miss the moment myself, then I fall asleep instantly and get up with a fresh head. But if I wake up unsuccessfully: I sleep less than an hour, or more than two, then the rest of the day is down the drain!

How do you feel about daytime sleep? Do you find it useful?

Elena Valve for the Sleepy Cantata project.

Daytime sleep of an adult, unlike a child, is not as common. Many, even with the opportunity to take a siesta, rush to do more things, surf the Internet or do something else, but not sleep during the day.

Moreover, it is believed that the one who allows himself daily daily rest is a lazy person. But numerous modern studies and tests have proven that in most cases, a midday siesta has a positive effect on the psychological and physical indicators of the state of the body. So what actually brings daytime sleep - benefit or harm?

Among the benefits of daytime sleep, experts note the following:

strengthening the nervous system and immunity;
restoration of working capacity;
return of cheerfulness and energy even after numerous activities in the morning;
aggravation of the work of all sense organs, improvement of cognitive and mental capabilities;
increase in endurance and stress resistance;
acceleration of metabolic processes and removal of toxins;
normalization of the work of all organs and systems, including the digestive, nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine;
the emergence of inspiration and new ideas in creativity.

In addition, siesta serves as a good prevention of mental and physical overwork, helps to equalize the emotional background and eliminate depression.

Experts are sure that a person who allows himself to regularly have a short rest during the day becomes more productive and resilient, feels better. The reason is not only the ability to switch and put thoughts in order, but also the beneficial effect of sleep on the hormonal background. So, during a siesta, the level of stress and anxiety hormones in the blood decreases significantly, the synthesis of endorphins, the hormones of joy and happiness, increases.

How much can you sleep

How much sleep during the day or at night depends on many factors: age, nature of work and activity during the day, health status and other individual characteristics. It is better to calculate the duration of rest separately in each case, but there are general recommendations of specialists in this regard.

Doctors advise taking into account not only the individual characteristics of a person, but also the cyclical phases of sleep. In total, there are 4 phases, where fast and slow sleep have 2 phases each.

REM sleep phases do not last long - only 20 minutes. Awakening during this period, if caught, will be easy. But the rise during the slow phase threatens with difficulties. If you cut off the slow phase, then everything that daytime sleep is useful for will not be relevant, and rest will only bring harm. A person will feel tired and weak until night, may experience a headache and a temporary loss of working capacity.

For your information. Is it good to sleep during the day, scientists from the University of California found out. They studied a group of people who practiced daytime sleep for a long time and compared their performance with a group of those who sleep only at night. The results are impressive: the group that sleeps during the day has significantly higher concentration and memory in the afternoon than the others.
These studies have proven that with the right duration and time of daytime sleep, siesta does not disturb biorhythms, does not lead to insomnia, and significantly improves well-being and performance.

Who and why can not sleep during the day

But not always a siesta is useful for a person. Sleeping during the day is harmful if done incorrectly. Experts note the following problems that you may encounter due to daytime sleep:

Long sleepers at lunchtime can disrupt their body's biorhythms, leading to insomnia and difficulty waking up in the morning.
Daytime naps can exacerbate depression. Therefore, suffering from it, it is better to reconsider your daily routine. It is advisable to consult a psychologist and try to avoid long daytime sleep.
In diseases of the heart and blood vessels, as well as in acute conditions, for example, in pre-stroke, sleep during the day is contraindicated. During such a rest and immediately after it, a jump in blood pressure can occur, which is fraught with a stroke, heart attack and other problems.
Many people wonder if it is harmful to sleep during the day for those who suffer from diabetes. Experts unanimously answer that such a rest will not benefit diabetics. Siesta can lead to a sharp increase in sugar after it, which is dangerous for health and life.

Also, a siesta can cause lethargy, drowsiness, laziness in the afternoon. Sometimes, instead of rest, it gives a feeling of weakness and fatigue, leads to the inability to concentrate and absent-mindedness. But these symptoms are most often associated with improperly chosen sleep time and its duration.

Important! Constant drowsiness and a desire to sleep at lunch for more than an hour and a half with a good night's rest can be a symptom of the disease. Such problems can arise due to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, osteochondrosis, cardiovascular diseases, hormonal disorders. Psychological factors can also serve as a cause: stress, depression, apathy, unfavorable conditions at home or at work, fear.

What causes a lack of melatonin

Scientists have proven that during sleep, a very important substance for health and well-being is released in the human body - melatonin. This is the hormone of sleep, youth, longevity, beauty, which is produced by the pineal gland located in the brain. The main condition under which melatonin is synthesized is the absence of light. Therefore, it is produced at night, and during the day - in smaller quantities.

Numerous studies have proven that melatonin inhibits growth and serves as a good prevention of the development of cancerous tumors, prevents premature aging and triggers tissue regeneration processes.

Lack of sleep, violations of biological rhythms, lack of melatonin can lead to such negative consequences:

decreased immunity;
deterioration of potency and libido in men;
decrease in working capacity, endurance, stress resistance;
the appearance of apathy, increased anxiety, depression, insomnia;
disruption of the hormonal system;
fast weight gain or, conversely, weight loss;
frequent headaches and muscle pain;
memory loss and inability to concentrate.

Take care of your health - failures in biological rhythms are very difficult to recover even with professional help. The normalization of the state can take not only months, but also years.

How to learn to sleep during the day

Studies of daytime sleep have led scientists studying this phenomenon to unequivocal conclusions. For it to be useful, you need to adhere to the following simple rules:

Rest at lunch is best only 10-30 minutes.
If you are very tired, then it is worth extending sleep to 90 minutes, as this is the time needed to complete a full sleep cycle.
Resting for half an hour or an hour can make you feel even more tired after it than before the siesta. This is due to the fact that the cycle was not observed and the body is forced to work in extreme mode.
The best time for a siesta is from one to three in the afternoon.
While sleeping, cover yourself with a blanket for comfort. Try to ventilate the room where you decide to relax the day before. Shade the windows with thick curtains or put on a special blindfold. Make sure your clothes are comfortable.
It is better to get used to the midday siesta gradually. In the early days, it is advisable to use an alarm clock so as not to oversleep the right time and take into account the phases of sleep. Already after a week of training, you will sleep during the day for 20-30 minutes, and the “internal clock” will wake you up on time.
After rest, be sure to stretch, do a light workout for the muscles of the whole body. This will help you get back to work faster and feel better.

Many people prefer to spend their siesta on a sofa or couch rather than in bed. This avoids the temptation to extend the rest for some more time.

As you can see, short naps, when properly planned, are beneficial for most people. If you follow the recommendations of specialists and regularly take a siesta, you can avoid the negative consequences of such a dream, increase your productivity and stress resistance, get a charge of vivacity and positive for the rest of the day.

But if you find it difficult to fall asleep or suffer from insomnia or the diseases listed above, then skip the siesta and try to sleep only at night.

Daytime sleep is useful for nervous individuals, people involved in mental work with large amounts of information, and workaholics. According to scientists, an hour of daytime sleep can replace a full night's rest. In many countries (Japan, Spain, etc.), daytime sleep is actively used even at work to improve the efficiency of citizens.

If you experience constant sleepiness during the day, this may signal chronic fatigue, night sleep deprivation and the presence of various diseases (neurasthenia, vegetative-vascular dystonia, anemia, etc.). Do not hesitate to visit a doctor.

In some diseases, a person is prescribed electro-sleep. In the atmosphere of a physiotherapy room on a couch behind a screen, you will be immersed in daytime sleep using special electrical sensors attached to your head. Low-frequency current impulses, when exposed to the nervous system, cause its natural inhibition, and the person falls asleep.

According to scientists, sleep during the daytime reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 35%. Also, during daytime sleep, reserves of physical strength are replenished faster and mental balance is normalized.

A short daytime sleep fills the body with hormones of joy and can replace it, which will undoubtedly be appreciated by people striving to lose weight. This rest is also good for the brain. The nervous tension and stress received during early awakening is removed.

People who know how to relax during the day are more cheerful and active.

Interesting is the fact that daytime dreams are more vivid and easier to remember.

What hours of the day are good for sleep

Sleep during the day is not only possible, but necessary. No wonder daytime sleep is used in children's institutions and sanatoriums. However, it is not recommended to go to bed for an hour or two after 16:00, when the sun is high above the horizon. The consequences of such a dream can be headache, lethargy and general malaise.

The best time for daytime sleep is the afternoon hours from 12-00 to 14-00. Such a dream helps digestion and energizes you for the rest of the day.

If the weather allows, you can go to bed in nature. For example, in the country in a deck chair or hammock. If there is no cottage, a glazed balcony with open doors will do, provided that the yard is quiet. Sleeping in the fresh air in the shade is the best cure for depression and stress received in the metropolis.