Do you find that by the afternoon you are getting weary and losing focus? You may even find yourself starting to nod off. Chances are you need a good afternoon nap.Napping has been shown to aid in hormonal maintenance, cell repair and even promote better heart function. Napping can also help you live longer, look younger and keep more fit and active. By taking a nap you recharge your brain which leads to greater alertness, improved memory retention and creative insight.
Napping helps to clear out the brain`s temporary storage space so that the brain is ready to receive and retain new information, according to researchers in the US. This research was led by Dr Matthew Walker, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California.
The researchers propose that a nap that lasts around an hour can refresh the mind and restore brain power and may even make you smarter.
Studies have shown that the hippocampus temporarily stores fact based memories. The hippocampus then transfers these memories to the brain`s prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus functions much like an email inbox, when it gets full you need to sleep in order to clear it out.
Recent research, presented at an annual meeting of neuroscientists, showed that during rest the right side of the brain was stimulated while the left hemisphere remained relatively quiet. To achieve this findings researchers monitored the brain activity of 15 at rest individuals. The right side of the brain is the area of the brain associated with creativity.