Benefits of a few zzzzzzz’s

A midday snooze is so deeply ingrained in the Middle Eastern culture that it has become the norm in this part of the world.

As the mercury rises, more and more people find that napping in the afternoon gives them the respite they need during the long, hot summer day. The midday snooze is not just seasonal but has become a part of the Arab lifestyle.
Although afternoon naps are an alien concept in some Western cultures and are actually frowned upon, siesta’s have great value in Middle Eastern, South American and the Mediterranean countries. The daily hustle and bustle comes to a standstill as everybody crawls underneath their bedcovers for the mandatory afternoon snooze. Apart from the fact that sleep rejuvenates the human body, the midday nap also has a lot of health benefits.
Faisal Salman, a young Bahraini banker, said: “A power nap for 15 minutes after lunch is absolutely essential for me. I feel energized and refreshed. The rest of the day is not difficult to get through because thanks to my snooze I’m not dragging my feet at work. Also I feel less tired by the end of the day.”
But the clichés of linking naps to laziness, toddlers, elderly, beauty and leisure activities have become difficult to shake off. Especially when in some parts of the world napping is considered unacceptable behaviour unless one is sick or injured. However, according to a scientifically proven fact, an afternoon snooze is beneficial for our health and particularly for our intellectual abilities.
“The benefits of an afternoon nap are manifold. It has been scientifically proven that after a midday snooze an individual’s energy reserves are as fresh for the next eight hours as if after waking up after a full night’s sleep,” comments Dr Syed Riaz Ahmed, General Physician at the Bahrain Specialist Hospital. “Also due to the harsh weather conditions in this part of the world, siestas have become a social phenomena. Of course there are health benefits associated with it because if you venture out in the scorching afternoon sun you are bound to get environmental injuries like heat stroke, dehydration etc.” 
A study undertaken by NASA researchers showed that a thirty-minute power nap increased the cognitive faculties by approximately 40 per cent. Test results on 1,000 volunteers proved that those who worked straight through the day without any rest had lower IQ scores. Also their ability to work and memorize decreased in comparison to those who had snoozed after lunch.
According to another finding published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in America, people who took a midday nap, even if it was not regular, had a 34 per cent less chance of dying from heart disease than those who stayed awake all day. Those who took their siestas by the clock, sleeping at least three times a week for 30 minutes had a 37 per cent lower risk to heart-related demise. Hence a midday catnap works as a stress relieving exercise that in turn reduces coronary mortality.
Omar Khan, an expatriate working for a multinational organisation also agrees that a short midday nap is important for him to recuperate. “Although I am not a regular napper, when I do nap in the afternoon I feel that I am more productive during the later part of the day. Even closing my eyes and not actually sleeping does the trick.” The best time to nap actually depends on when the alarm clock goes off. It is recommended that an individual should take a power nap after approximately seven to eight hours of akefulness.               
Studies show that 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon provides more rest than 20 minutes of more sleep in the morning. However, anything longer than a 30-minute nap defeats the purpose of maximizing efficiency. The body goes into deep sleep and waking up becomes difficult. In fact, one might end up feeling groggy and lazy instead and the beneficial effects of a power nap disappear. Airline pilots know that the effectiveness of a 20-minute nap can considerably reduce their risk of falling asleep at the controls in mid-flight.
Some of the famous nappers in history that realised the benefits of a power nap were Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, Leonardo do Vinci and John F. Kennedy.
So be sure to take some time out for that power nap too.

Asma Salman