7 reasons why you should take daily naps

culled from:pulse.ng

A nap is a short period of sleep, typically taken during daylight hours as an supplement to the usual nocturnal sleep period.

While some people think this is good, others think it is an unnecessary waste of time, if you agree with the first school of thought, then congrats as science agrees with you.

Here are just some of the scientific endless, bountiful benefits of taking naps.

1. Napping is good for your memory- Researchers at Saarland University in Germany found that people who took naps had memories five times better than anyone else’s,according to the Huffington Post. The study consisted of 41 volunteers who were asked to perform a series of memory tests to reveal overall memory patterns. Those who enjoyed the glory of napping on a daily basis turned out to have more accurate memories. What’s even more interesting is that, after studying the effect of naps on memory, researchers found participants performed better at the memory tests as they began to nap more regularly.
2. Helps you stay beautiful- Now studies show that sleeping could be the natural supplement needed to promote beauty, as well as a fresh face. It’s not that far out if you think about it: Your face is composed of various muscles, and just like the rest of the body, those muscles require a sufficient amount of rest time. It is said that by getting in some nap time each day, people may be able to eradicate the need for face lifts entirely. Some extra sleep could potentially stall, or even reverse, aging effects by letting your face muscles and skin rest.
3. Helps you save more money- Napping may be your best bet to holding onto what little money you have left. It could be seen as an excuse, but it’s true: Napping will actually help you save more in the long run. Think about it, when you’re not napping, you’re likely out spending money on things you probably do not actually need.
4. Boosts your creativity- If you’re a creative person, you may be even more interested in jumping back into your bed after reading this one. Research shows that people who take naps have more activity on the right side of their brains, the region of the brain closely connected to creativity, CNN reports. The study involved connecting participants’ heads to optical fibers placed symmetrically around a person’s scalp. The fibers then sent infrared light through the brain in order to measure how much light returned. Researchers found that, when participants were given the chance to nap, the blood flow in the right hemisphere of the brain picked up, showing that activity in the creativity region of the brain became enhanced.
5. Boosts productivity- TIME reports that college campuses across the United States are installing “snooze rooms” in an effort to increase productivity.  Ryan DeAngelis, a 21-year-old senior at the U of M, is double-majoring in neuroscience and philosophy, and he’s glad his school added the comfort zones to his library. He tells TIME; "You’re going to wake up in 20 minutes and keep working, but if you go back to the dorm, you’re tempted to fall asleep and then maybe procrastinate ‘til the morning." Hopefully, Nigerian schools will get snooze rooms, then maybe, we won't have as much mass failures.
6. Reduces stress and high blood pressure- Our generation is known to take our work home with us, and we generally live more stressful lifestyles than ever before. We’re becoming enveloped in our work and school lives, with constant notifications and online access at our fingertips. A nap in the middle of the day just helps break stressful things up, as well as provides some room for clear thought. One study shows that taking a quick nap in the middle of a stress-filled day can actually help you handle tough situations and tackle difficult challenges more effectively. The study, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, tested the blood pressure levels of 85 healthy college students throughout the day at the Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. The results found that those who were allowed to nap for 45-60 minutes after a stress-inducing task had significantly lower blood pressure compared to those who stayed awake, the Daily Mail reports.
7. Makes you happy- A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) shows that a 30-minute nap can leave someone who woke up on the wrong side of the bed feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Medical Daily reports that the study included 11 healthy participants who were given two, 30-minute naps the day after experiencing only two hours of sleep during the night. In another session, the same men were deprived of sleep but not allowed to nap. When they had 30 minutes of shut-eye during the day, they did not develop sleep deprivation. Brice Faraut of the Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, an author of the study, said in a press release,"Our data suggests a 30-minute nap can reverse the hormonal impact of a night of poor sleep."

There, you have it, napping is an important part of our health and overall well being, according to pure, hard science. Students would be more alert and prepared, artists would be more creative and everyone would be a bit happier in general. So next time you skip out on an event, don’t let anyone tell you you’re just making excuses, you are not lazy; you are just improving your health.