Try these simple tips to cure your coronasomnia. Veuer’s Chloe Hurst has the story!
If you feel like calling it a day and dozing off for a bit, don't feel bad — Monday, March 15, is National Napping Day.
Finding the time to rejuvenate and recover amid daily responsibilities can be hard, but napping has benefits that could help you level up in your overall health and productivity — meaning there is no reason to feel as if you're lazy for indulging in a little you-time.
That's if you're not someone struggling with "coronasomnia," a term some have given the inability to fall asleep or get good quality sleep during the coronavirus pandemic. An occasional nap can be healthy, but one longer than 45 minutes may interfere with your circadian rhythm — making falling asleep later that night more difficult.
If you haven't been experiencing coronasomnia, here are five reasons why you should catch some zzzs:
People are also reading…
1. We just lost an hour of sleep
If the lurching forward of the clock for daylight saving time on Sunday made you noticeably more tired, you're not the only one. This time change was actually the inspiration for National Napping Day, which takes place annually the day after the clocks move ahead.
In 1999, the late William Anthony, a psychologist and Boston University professor, and his wife, Camille, instituted National Napping Day. Their intent was to overcome American cultural prejudice against napping and to raise awareness about the health benefits of catching up on quality sleep.
"We figured this would be a good day to celebrate the importance of napping because everyone is one hour more sleep-deprived than usual," Anthony said in a 2006 BU Today article. "The fact is that the majority of Americans are sleep-deprived even without Daylight Saving Time."
Because of their efforts, some workplaces have observed the day with nap breaks. Thank you, William Anthony.
Taking a short nap may boost your energy, creativity and heart health.
2. It can charge your brain's batteries
A study at NASA on drowsy military pilots and astronauts found that a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34% and alertness by 100%, according to the Sleep Foundation, a sleep research and resources site.
Taking a nap may make you more alert for the period right after you wake up and maybe hours into the day. A short snooze may also make you feel more relaxed.
3. You'll have lower risk for heart problems
Taking a nap once or twice a week could lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Heart.
After tracking more than 3,400 people between the ages of 35 and 75 for slightly more than five years, the researchers found that those who indulged in occasional napping — once or twice a week, for five minutes to an hour — were 48% less likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or heart failure than those who didn't nap at all.
4. It might even help you get into shape
A 2020 study focusing on women found the more sleep-deprived the women were, the more likely they were to consume added sugar, fatty foods and caffeine.
A lack of quality sleep could lead to overeating because inadequate sleep is believed to stimulate hunger and suppress hormone signals that communicate fullness. The findings were important because women are at high risk for obesity and sleep disorders, the researchers said, which can both be driven by a high intake of food.
Napping has been found to improve the overall quality of even nighttime sleep.
5. And boost your creativity
The right side of your brain may experience a mental spark during a nap, research has suggested. The right side is the hemisphere most associated with creative tasks, like visualization and thinking, while the left is more analytic.
Researchers monitoring the brain activity of 15 people found that the right side of their brain communicated busily with itself as well as with its left counterpart. The left side of the brain, on the other hand, remained relatively quiet. In a January 2020 study of 2,214 Chinese adults ages 60 and older, participants who took afternoon naps for five minutes to two hours showed better mental agility than those who didn't nap.
Napping may not ensure success in every aspect of your life, but it could improve your health and reboot your brain. Now go lie down.
How stress affects the way Americans sleep
How stress affects the way Americans sleep
A good night’s sleep can help offer a clear perspective and fresh start in the morning, but unfortunately, sleep doesn’t always come easy for Americans.
Sunday Citizen conducted an eight-question survey Feb. 4–8, 2021, that asked 1,000 respondents about their sleep and how stress affects it.
Stress and sleep are intrinsically linked: High levels of stress can negatively impact sleep, just as, in a cruel twist of irony, a lack of sleep can increase stress levels. To improve sleep, experts recommend following a strict and consistent bedtime routine each day, meaning going to sleep and waking every day at the same time and avoiding impromptu naps in the middle of the day, even if you’re tired. Blue light can get in the way of rest, so it is also best to limit screen time before bed and avoid scrolling through feeds as you’re trying to fall asleep. Exercising earlier in the day, but not too close to bedtime, can improve sleep quality, as well. The Sleep Foundation recommends getting out of bed if you’re stressed about not falling asleep, as staying in bed when you’re frustrated can be counterproductive. Sometimes a change of environment and a brief calming activity, such as meditation or listening to relaxing music, can prepare the mind to return to the pillow.
While the recommended duration of sleep per day varies from person to person depending on age and other lifestyle factors, experts generally recommend the average adult gets around 7 to 9 hours of sleep each day. Yet, only 52.2% of Sunday Citizen’s survey respondents report they achieve that number and a considerable amount get less than 6 hours of sleep.
Continue reading to find out how your stress and sleep habits compare to those of other Americans.
42% of Americans usually sleep 6 hours or less per night
- Question: On average, how many hours do you sleep per night?
--- less than 6 hours: 18.3%
--- 6 hours: 23.7%
--- 7 hours: 26.9%
--- 8 hours: 21.5%
--- 9 hours: 3.8%
--- 10 hours: 2.3%
--- greater than 10 hours: 3.6%
68% of Americans have at least one night a week where they get less than 7 hours of sleep
- Question: How many nights per week do you get less than 7 hours of sleep?
--- None: 18.7%
--- Some (1-3 nights per week): 45.2%
--- Most (4-6 nights per week): 22.9%
--- All (7 nights per week): 13.2%
Over 50% of Americans occasionally have disrupted sleep
- Question: What is the quality of your sleep usually like? (In this case, "disrupted" means you wake up in the middle of the night or have trouble falling asleep)
--- High (consistent, uninterrupted sleep): 24.5%
--- Medium (occasionally disrupted sleep): 57.2%
--- Low (constantly disrupted sleep): 18.2%
Only 14% of Americans usually wake up feeling well-rested every day of the week
- Question: How many days do you wake up feeling like you had enough sleep?
--- None: 16.8%
--- Some (1-3 days per week): 35.7%
--- Most (4-6 days per week): 33.6%
--- All (7 days per week): 13.8%
Most Americans watch a TV show or movie to help them fall asleep
- Question: What helps you fall asleep? (select all that apply)
--- Watching TV show or movie: 36.0%
--- Total darkness: 29.9%
--- Reading: 28.3%
--- Total quiet: 27.4%
--- Listening to music: 12.4%
--- Exercising before bed: 4.3%
--- Other: 1.4% (answers include listening to audio books, taking medication or melatonin, and white noise)
35% of Americans are stressed about family or relationships when they can't sleep
- Question: When you have trouble falling asleep due to stress, what’s typically bothering you? (select all that apply)
--- Family or relationships: 35.0%
--- Work or education: 34.3%
--- Money/finances: 27.8%
--- News/politics: 21.8%
--- Health: 17.4%
--- Household responsibilities (such as chores): 16.7%
--- Nothing/I am not stressed: 1.6%
--- Not sure: 0.7%
--- Mental illness: 0.2%
Stress has caused 40% of Americans to wake up too early or in the middle of the night
- Question: In the past month, what effects has stress had on your sleep? (select all that apply)
--- Waking up too early or in the middle of the night: 40.4%
--- Trouble falling asleep: 36.7%
--- No effects or not applicable to me: 25.5%
--- Bad dreams: 17.9%
--- Putting off sleep to do tasks: 14.6%
--- Oversleeping: 11.7%
Most Americans have little to no stressful dreams
- Question: In a typical month, how often are your dreams about something stressful?
--- Almost never: 37.7%
--- About half the time: 22.6%
--- Most of the time: 6.7%
--- Virtually always: 5.3%
--- Not sure: 27.7%
CNN's Sandee LaMotte and Megan Marples contributed to this report.