When my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) would flare up, taking a mid-day nap would be essential to functioning. People with CFS get “brain fog,” and there’s something about a nap that seems to reset or reboot the brain. My body might not actually be that tired, but the brain would be sleepy. A nap can make all the difference.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows a correlation between naps and improved brain function in seniors. pinpoints the optimal amount of time seniors should nap in the afternoon for the benefit of their mental function: about one hour.
The Health in Aging Foundation, a nonprofit group founded by the American Geriatrics Society, said in a statement that the difference in mental function between the moderate nappers and all the rest was equivalent to what “a five-year increase in age would be expected to cause” — the latter group’s mental decline was between four and six times greater.
(Read More at Medical Daily)