The benefits of a 30 minute nap Daily

According to research, a 20 to 30-minute nap a day will allow you to clear your head and increase your productivity. Research has found that small amounts of sleep work to decrease errors and prevent traffic accidents. For example, according to research conducted by NASA on their staff, a 40-minute nap helps improve work performance by 34 percent while it increases alertness by 100 percent.

With the fast pace of modern life, sleep, which is normally considered remedial, is becoming a problem. Research indicates that sleeping disorders are on the rise and threatening the well-being of humans. Among the illnesses that can surface if sleeping disorders are not treated properly are hypertension, heart-related illnesses, diabetes, depression and other chronic illnesses. In this regard, in many countries, beginning with the US, sleeping problems are giving rise to the creation of foundations, such as the National Sleep Foundation, which are proclaiming the importance of sleep and researching problems arising from sleeping disorders.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, an American public opinion research company, in a recently published report said short naps are a part of everyday life. According to this study, on an average day 34 percent of adults like to take a nap. If one were to examine the difference between genders, studies indicate that more men than women prefer to nap. And when income levels are examined, people with middle income levels have less of an opportunity to nap than those on higher or lower incomes. Also, napping on weekends was found to be equal to napping during the weekdays. Those with unemployment problems or the retired sleep more during work days than they do on weekends.

Breaking the myths about sleep

Incorrect word-of-mouth information on sleep and bad advice may lead to us having sleeping problems. Experts point out the importance of temperature in getting a good sleep; an average room temperature is advised as being ideal. Light and noise are the enemies of sleep, and smoking a cigarette before bed also makes sleeping more difficult.

Men's Journal, a popular magazine in the US, recently published a list of popular myths about sleep. According to them, the four myths we need to forget about sleep are:

Myth 1: You need eight hours.

The truth: Even though it's difficult to give a perfect number on this matter, generally speaking, seven hours is enough. According to the American Cancer Society, which monitored a million people's sleep patterns aged 30-102 for six years, people who sleep for seven hours live 12 percent longer than people who sleep for eight hours.

Myth 2 : Don't eat just before bed.

The truth: Eating a cheese sandwich before going to bed is an ideal snack. It is generally believed that digesting food prevents sleep. However, some foods can actually assist you in falling asleep. Milk and dairy products fall into this category. Tryptophan, found in dairy, increases the brain chemicals of melatonin and serotonin, both of which make you drowsy.

Myth 3: You can catch up on weekends.

The truth: You can't compensate for sleep. Sleeping seven hours a day may prevent fatigue, but sleeping until noon on weekends to make up for another day where you weren't able to rest will only tire you as it ruins your circadian rhythm.

Myth 4: Firm beds are best.

The truth: Soft beds are better for sleep. A study published in the British medical journal The Lancet showed that patients with chronic back pain who switched firm mattresses for softer ones experienced a 75 percent increase in their sleep. Softer mattresses allow for more natural body contours and work to eliminate pain by 32 percent among users.

Sleep is extremely important for the physiological rhythm of the body, and it is becoming increasingly important with the increasing high-speed pace of our modern age. For this reason, sleep must not be seen as an unimportant daily need, but as an act that needs to be adjusted according to scientific information.

Prepare yourself before you are jetlagged

One of the most important sleep-related problems of our modern age is jetlag. It is known that the problems caused by this biological clock change last a few days and lead to sleeping problems and fatigue. Even though various medicines have been discovered that prevent jetlag, it is possible to pay attention to a few details to curb its side effects:

Select a flight in which you land at your destination in the afternoon.

Don't sleep until 10 p.m. local time at your arrival point.

Refrain from eating very heavy foods at your arrival point.

Refrain from heavy workouts for a while.

Go out into the sunlight so you can allow the sun to reset your biological clock.