Beautiful Minds

I've always napped. We and a nap-loving friend have taken to calling it "blankie time" (she naps in her own bed, us in ours, just to make that clear). Although I can skip a day now and then if I'm out and busy, most days it's a must. And a delight. Earlier in my marriage, we called it "slug huddling." (The slug part probably was evocative of a bit of guilt, but deep down I always knew we were doing good.)

So thanks, Scott, for all the good science sharing.

Sleep plays such a critical role in our stress response. When we are deprived of sleep our ability to deal with the normal hassles of life greatly diminishes. This article informs us all of the many benefits of sleep.

Hey Scotty,

Loved the article, thanks. Well, I guess I'm due my stooge's tuppence worth.

The first thing is, could it be that the 'emptying out of the hippocampus', as it were, is something that just takes time rather than sleep? I say this because, sure, I'd be tired during the middle of the day when the experimenters did their re-testing, but during this down-time I would typically do some shopping, some admin (I might literally tidy up my inbox) or just relaxing with some friends after lunch. I'd then usually find that after a few hours of distraction my brain is ready for action again: which might suggest that time is the crucial factor rather than sleep.

I'm also wondering if food was involved in the experiments...? I ask because tiredness after lunch is surely related to digestion: either as an aid or a by-product (say from insulin excretion causing lower blood glucose levels: and this would surely impact on cognitive functioning).

My general point is: there may be other factors leading to tiredness during the day, and other ways of riding out the tiredness than sleeping. For now I think I'll stick to my cup of tea and a chat after lunch.

All the best Scotty. Come back to England soon!

After talking with my doctor a year ago, I found this out as well. I started to take an afternoon nap for a half hour. It quickly improved my mood and also helped me stay more focused during my evening with working out and also with my daily task. Before I spoke with my doctor about this, I was lead to believe it was just purely lazy to sleep in the afternoon. Now I am happy to say I have changed my opinion.

my mother used to hate it if I took a nap, saying it was just me being lazy and decreasing productivity. Now I'm at uni, I can nap whenever I need to :P

Great article, just forwarded it to my mum ;)

I've always been a nap loving person even when I was little, but I never really thought much about it. Now I'm in the university, and the benefits are quite noticeable. Instead of slugging my way into finishing all the long readings I have to do for my classes, I take a nap, and wake up with a better mood and reading becomes a breeze.

ou did a forgiving annoyance creating a laws fit photographers like me with no finish feeling with stock. You explained so much that I needed to know. I read it with zealous interest. You are a true writer. I’m on top of the everyone to receive met you and obstinate that you are as beneficial and unreserved as your be employed indicates. Your mending is appreciated.

A nice article, certainly full of good news for most people. Unfortunately, some of us with troubled sleep can't afford having a nap after lunch - the night's sleep would be much worse or might not come at all. The other thing is that we most probably wouldn't be able to force ourselves to fall asleep for the purpose of such research. However, I'm forwarding this page to my father who always feels a bit guilty when it comes to his afternoon naps. I'm sure it will make him happier. :)

It is interesting that naps should occur between 1-3 p.m. for adults...as this is basically impossible for most modern individuals whose work schedules don't support such a schedule. Further, if we were to take 90 min. naps in the middle of the day we'd have to extend our work day to at least 9.5 hrs. :( I think its great research but the real question is - how can we apply it?
Also, noticed that on the first page Kaiser is spelled Kaier.