image source, Getty Images
The key is to take a nap of less than half an hour.
- author, James Gallagher
- Role, Health and science correspondent, BBC News
Throwing yourself into the arms of Morpheus and taking regular naps may be the key to having a bigger, healthier brain for longer.
This is the conclusion of an investigation from University College London (UCL), which showed that people who took a nap had a brain 15 cc larger, which is equivalent to delaying their aging by between three and six years.
The key, scientists say, is that naps take less than half an hour.
“We suggest that Everyone can experience some benefits from nappingDescribing the findings as “very new and exciting”, Dr Victoria Garfield told the BBC.
They say the problem arises with the work culture of modern society as the practice is often frowned upon, making it virtually impossible for people to sleep during the day.
since birth
Naps are essential for children’s development, but they become less common as we get older.
However, his popularity resurfaced after retirement: 27% of people over the age of 65 said they take a nap.
For Dr. Garfield, people should take napping advice seriously because it’s “fairly easy” to do compared to losing weight or exercising, which is “difficult for a lot of people.”
image source, Getty Images
Exercise also contributes to improving our brain health.
While napping can slow down brain shrinkage because it naturally occurs with age, Its role in helping prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease is not clear.
General brain health is important for preventing dementia, and this disease is linked to sleep disorders.
Researchers suggest that lack of sleep damages the brain over time by causing inflammation and affecting the connections between brain cells.
With this link in mind, Uruguayan researcher Valentina Paz, of the MCR Unit for Health and Aging at UCLA, believes that “regular naps can protect against neurodegeneration by compensating for lack of sleep.”
However, you think Dr.
“sincerely, I’d rather spend 30 minutes working out than taking a nap. That said, I’ll probably try to recommend it to my mom.”
How do you find the answer?
Studying naps can be a huge challenge for scientists.
On the one hand, it can improve health, but on the other hand, it is also true that it can leave us so tired that we need more sleep.
So researchers used a new technique to prove that napping is beneficial based on the DNA — the genetic code — that we’re born with.
Previous studies have identified 97 pieces of our DNA that make us more likely to nap or get through the day with more energy.
Take the team Data from 35,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 as part of a UK Biobank project and compare “sleepyheads” with “non-sleepyheads”.
The results, published in the journal Sleep Health, showed a difference of 15 cubic centimeters, corresponding to between 2.6 and 6.5 years of age.
In the study, the total brain volume was about 1480 cc.
“I love short naps on the weekends and this study He convinced me that I shouldn’t get lazy while I’m taking a nap. It may protect my brain, Professor Tara Spears-Jones, of the University of Edinburgh and chair of the British Neuroscience Society, told the BBC.
The study results show a “small but significant increase in brain volume,” Spiers-Jones noted, adding to other research indicating the importance of sleep for brain health.
Although it is important to stress that the study is not based on a long nap, but on one that does not last more than half an hour.
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