• Question: Is there any benefit of having 'power naps' ?

    Asked by Resh@science to Hayley, Jimi on 18 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Hayley Moulding

      Hayley Moulding answered on 18 Mar 2016:

      Oh good question. Naps can be good and bad. Naps in the morning aren’t great and usually your sleep isn’t very deep if you nap in the morning. It also could suggest that you might have a slight sleep problem or haven’t had enough sleep. Naps in the afternoon though can be good. They can help to make memories and make sure you have enough sleep to carry on with the day if you are very tired. People in Spain and Italy have ‘siestas’. These are naps at the hottest part of the day normally, and the part of the day when you are most sleepy. Around 1-3pm you might feel really really sleepy. That is normal. It isn’t all to do with eating your lunch either. It is to do with hormones and chemicals in your body which are at different levels. One hormone called ‘melatonin’ is increasing, whereas another one called ‘cortisol’ is getting lower. This makes you tired and want a nap!

    • Photo: Jimi Wills

      Jimi Wills answered on 18 Mar 2016:

      Another interesting fact, is that coffee doesn’t wake you up in the morning! For much the same reasons that morning naps aren’t good and afternoon tiredness is normal. Your body has a hormone pattern through the day, that means you’re more awake at some times than others. One of the times you’re really awake is when you first get up. Even if you have coffee right away, it takes about 30 minutes to be absorbed, and by then you’re fully awake anyway.

      Coffee also doesn’t nessarily stop you from wanting to nap. In general, your hormones are a lot stronger than the effect of coffee.

      In my opionion, a quick nap is better than a coffee if you’re feeling tired.

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