Naps Really Do Have Health Benefits
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iStock/Thinkstock(PARIS) — Boys will be boys and men will be men but neither does well on just two hours of sleep a night. That is, unless, they can sneak in a short nap or two at some point.
Researchers at the University of Paris Descartes had 11 healthy men between the ages of 25-and-32 sleep two hours one night without naps and then two hours another night with two 30-minutes naps the following day.
The results were that after the men napped, there was no destabilization of hormones that help them deal with stress. Without naps, they all experienced a boost in norepinephrine, which drives up heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar.
Another important finding was that after naps, the men produced normal levels of a protein with anti-viral properties that improves the immune system. Minus the naps, levels of this protein dropped, which weakens the immune system.
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