Can a Nap Replace Sleep Of 8 Hours?

In today’s world, getting less sleep is considered as directly proportional to more productivity. And this is a big question for everyone that ” Can a Nap Replace Sleep of 8 hours?” Well if we talk about today’s era so for performing well in life,  not getting good sleep is considered a necessity. Yes, People tend to associate themselves with successful people by assuming that less sleep results in more productivity, wealth. Many successful people like Thomas Edison often increased their productivity by getting less sleep. But is it right that not getting enough sleep leads to more wealth, productivity, success, and options?

The case is not that much simpler and not healthy at all. Research from the past decade shows that the human body’s metabolism and immune system gets affected by less sleep. The body’s power to metabolize food, fight infections and different processes are impacted so much by deprived sleep. Less sleep even led to diabetes and cancer. There are short-term disadvantages like memory loss, fatigue, etc.

Interestingly there are ways to decrease sleep deprivation and it is not only taking 8 hours of sleep in one go.

How do naps help in good sleep?

Over time researchers developed certain ways to hack sleep by creating sleep schedules. For example,  Richard Buckminster Fuller slept two hours a day in thirty-minute blocks and continued it for two years but eventually had to stop as his colleagues got annoyed. Thus many researchers focus on less sleep but in more frequent doses. Such ways might not work for longer terms but what can work is the sleep of 4-5 hours at night and then good naps in the afternoon. There is no specific period of naps but one has to take more naps if that individual sleeps less at night.

What Science Says On “Can A Nap Replace Sleep?

Naps are not sufficient as our body needs at least a specific lengthier sleep cycle per night to keep everything in a good position. This is due to the basic ‘anatomy’ of our night sleep: one is REM(rapid eye movement), another one is non-REM sleep. However, naps with a specific duration of sleep at night help.

Non-REM have further three stages, first is where we are just transitioning to sleep that lasts a few minutes. The second stage is when our body temperature decreases and eye movement stops and it lasts for 10-25 minutes, but its period increases when we sleep more. The third stage sleeps with a slow wave that occurs in the first half of the night needed for a fresh feeling in the morning. REM sleep is that part when we have dreams.

Every stage has its importance but the third stage is very important as it includes recovery of the brain and maintenance of sleep. This whole stage lasts for around 70 to 120 minutes per cycle. So the sleep of 4-5 hours gives all elements that are needed for good rest. After this small nap helps complement this larger sleep period of 8 hours.

Researchers made another method to hack the sleep period and it’s more helpful for coffee lovers.

Caffeine in coffee halts a compound called adenosine from accumulating in the brain. Adenosine diminishes the brain’s active rate and helps in sleep. After sleeping when you wake up, it leads to a fresh feeling whether you are doing it this afternoon or at night. Thus coffee plus sleep is a better option than long 8-hour sleep at a time.

But when our sleep period comes back to normal, the brain surprisingly diminishes the problems that we might have due to deprived sleep.

So when you think of a nap despite ignoring it, take it. Whatever will be its duration is going to help you in a stable and fresh mind and your productivity might increase. A 4-5 hour sleep with good naps during the day is not similar to 8-hour sleep but it is efficient and effective when you need to work more in life.

So now, we leave this on to you to decide whether a nap can replace sleep or not.