Sleep Disorders / 21.11.2024

Understanding the Power of Napping for Productivity 

In our fast-paced world, many people find themselves feeling fatigued and mentally drained by mid-afternoon. As work demands increase, the idea of napping during the day is often dismissed as a luxury or an unproductive habit. However, recent studies suggest that napping can, in fact, improve productivity, cognitive performance, and mental clarity, provided it is done correctly. The science behind napping reveals that it can benefit both physical health and mental focus, offering a way to recharge during the day without disrupting nighttime sleep.  (more…)
Aging, Author Interviews, Mental Health Research, Sleep Disorders / 02.07.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Valentina Paz, M.Sc Ph.D.  Student Research and teaching assistant Universidad de la República, UruguayHon. Research AssistantMRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing Department of Population Science & Experimental MedicineInstitute of Cardiovascular ScienceUniversity College London MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Prior research indicates that napping can enhance performance on specific cognitive tasks. However, some authors argue that the advantages derived from napping may vary between individuals who frequently have a nap and those who never naps. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether habitual daytime napping has a positive or negative impact on cognition and the association between napping and brain volume is not well characterized. Therefore, our study aimed to examine whether the association between genetic liability to daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volumes might be causal using a technic called Mendelian randomization and the UK Biobank. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease, Sleep Disorders / 10.09.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Nadine Häusler Department of Medicine, Internal Medicine University Hospital of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: There are controversial results regarding the effect of napping on cardiovascular disease (CVD) exist i.e. some studies report adverse effects of napping whereas other find beneficial effects of napping on CVD. Most studies compare nappers to non-nappers or study nap duration but neglect to take the frequency of napping into account. Moreover, studies measure naps in a different way, study different populations and include different confounders, which makes it hard to compare the results. Thus, we aimed to study the association between CVD and napping as a more holistic behavior i.e. not just the duration but also the frequency of napping. (more…)
Author Interviews, BMJ, Sleep Disorders / 18.02.2015

Karen Thorpe PhD Professor, Developmental Psychology Program Leader, Early Education and Development Group Program leader, Sleep in Early Childhood Group School of Psychology and Counselling Queensland University of Technology Australia MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Karen Thorpe PhD Professor, Developmental Psychology Program Leader, Early Education and Development Group Program leader, Sleep in Early Childhood Group School of Psychology and Counseling Queensland University of Technology Australia MedicalResearch: What is the background for this study? Professor Thorpe: Sleep is undoubtedly important not only for how well we think, feel and behave in our daily lives but also for longer-term health. In childhood, the quantity and quality of night-time and 24 hour sleep have consistently been identified as predictor of health. For example, night sleep predicts weight status. These findings have led to the hypothesis that increasing quantity of sleep through promoting daytime sleep would benefit child health. We sought to look for evidence on the independent effects of daytime sleep on child health, learning and behavior to assess whether this hypothesis was supported. (more…)