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I’ve always struggled with napping. Whenever I attempt a European-style siesta, I end up frustrated, lying still for about ten minutes, unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep. That’s why the recent research published by a team from University College London and the University of the Republic in Uruguay caught my attention.
Published in the Sleep Health journal, the paper revealed a modest causal link between habitual napping and larger brain volume. On average, habitual nappers had brains that appeared 2.6 to 6.5 years younger than those who don’t nap. This suggests that regular napping could compensate for deficient sleep and protect against neurodegeneration.
Professor Tara Spires-Jones, President of the British Neuroscience Association, believes that this research should eliminate the negative connotations associated with daytime napping. As she shared, “I enjoy short naps on the weekends. This study has convinced me that I shouldn’t feel lazy napping; it may even be protecting my brain.”
Interestingly, one of the authors of the study, Victoria Garfield, isn’t a fan of napping. She stated, “Honestly, I would rather spend 30 minutes exercising than napping.” In fact, a study published in The Journal of Physiology earlier this year revealed that high-intensity exercise, such as cycling, has similar neuroprotective effects to napping. This is great news for those of us who prefer physical activity over lying down.
It’s worth noting that the UCL study didn’t find any notable differences in other measures of brain health and cognitive function, such as reaction time and visual processing, between nappers and non-nappers. Furthermore, the comparison was not between individuals who choose to nap and those who don’t, but rather between people who have a genetic predisposition to nap and those who don’t. This means that some of us will always be defeated by our genes, no matter how hard we try to take a daytime nap.
Therefore, being a napper or a non-napper doesn’t reflect the content of one’s character or the strength of one’s willpower. It simply relates to a physiological fact determined by our genes.
French philosopher Thierry Paquot once wrote a treatise on the “art of the siesta.” He describes it as a high point in an art of living that should be celebrated, popularized, and practiced with joy and solemnity. Paquot argues that the siesta is an act of resistance against the rigid schedules imposed by capitalism. However, his definition of the siesta is broad and includes various forms, such as falling into a deep sleep, dozing for a few minutes, or simply emptying one’s mind for a brief moment.
In essence, the siesta is a metaphor for our ability to control and dictate how we spend our time. It doesn’t necessarily require actual sleep or dozing off during the day, which is reassuring for someone like me who struggles with napping.
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