The Elemental Guide to Napping
Why Napping Is Good for You, According to Science
Emerging evidence suggests a daytime snooze has powerful health benefits
The Elemental Guide to Napping is a three-part special report. Read here about how to take the perfect nap and how people are napping as a form of resistance.
As long as there’s been civilization, there’s been disagreement about the value of a nap. Plato viewed sleep as anti-social, writing that “a sleeper is of no more use than one who is dead.” Rabbis debated the topic in the Talmud, concluding that napping should be avoided most of the time. “It is forbidden for a man to sleep by day more than the sleep of a horse,” commentators wrote. “And what is the sleep of a horse? Sixty respirations,” or about half an hour. By the Middle Ages, some physicians worried that midday naps caused fevers, headaches, dropsy (edema), and gout, especially if taken after a heavy meal.
Science has come a long way since then, but sleep — and napping in particular — is still surprisingly understudied. However, the evidence that is available points to napping as something of a magic pill that not only makes you more alert but also protects your heart, lowers your blood pressure, improves your memory, and enhances creativity. As leading…
