Benefits Of Napping For The Elderly

A common practice many people introduce into their lives as they get older is the afternoon nap. Here are some benefits of napping for seniors.

Compensation for Lost Sleep

As you age your sleep patterns may change. For some this means less hours of sleep during the night. An afternoon nap is a natural way to make up for this lost sleep.

Energy

A nap can give you a boost of energy to help you be more alert and deal with the rest of your day more effectively. Some people try to utilize what they call a ‘power nap’ to get this effect.

Emotional Reactivity

In studying the effects of sleep on brain processes, researchers¹ found that a nap was able to change people’s emotional reactivity to anger and fear. People who reached the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were even able to replace these emotions with positive ones.

That’s a pretty good intervention for managing emotions.

Maybe it’s the afternoon naps that allow us at Elmwood Hills Healthcare Center to always greet you with a cheerful smile?

Do you nap in the afternoon?

What are some of the benefits of napping you’ve noticed?

Please share in the comments below. 

Disclaimer, or Use At Your Own Risk

Elmwood Hills Healthcare Center does not take any responsibility this post’s content. So any action you take based on its information is strictly at your own risk. You should always speak to your doctor regarding medical information and your health.

¹ Gujar, Ninad, Steven Andrew McDonald, Masaki Nishida, and Matthew P. Walker. “A role for REM sleep in recalibrating the sensitivity of the human brain to specific emotions.” Cerebral Cortex 21, no. 1 (2010): 115-123.