A new study states this: indulge a little afternoon rest helps the mind to remain clear and supple, especially if you are older. Not only: nap could also act as a regulator of the immune response in the presence of inflammatory states. The research, published in the journal General Psychiatry, examined the resting patterns of 2,214 healthy people aged 60 and over in several large Chinese cities.
About 1,534 took regular afternoon naps from five minutes to two hours, while 680 did not.
The researchers later discovered, through a dementia screening test performed by the participants themselves, that sleeping in the afternoon was associated with improved clarity, verbal fluency and memory.
According to the study “in addition to reducing sleepiness, mid-day rests offer a range of benefits such as memory consolidation, preparation for later learning, improved function and a boost to emotional stability“.
Not only that: those who took regular afternoon naps had a higher level of triglycerides, which means – according to the researchers – that the resting phase was linked to some risk factors for cardiovascular disease. According to the researchers, in practice, the study results suggest that sleep regulates the body’s immune response and therefore nap represents an evolved response to inflammation. Not for nothing, we read in the study, “individuals with higher levels of inflammation are those who also take a more frequent nap“.
However, the researchers also highlighted that the study was unable to conclude whether an afternoon nap can prevent dementia and cognitive decline in older people.
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