Napping is defined as “a short period of sleep, especially taken during the day.” All age groups indulge in napping; people nap out of habit or because they are sleep-deprived due to long work shifts. While naps do not compensate for inadequate night-time sleep, a short nap for 20 minutes at any time during the day is known to improve alertness, mood, performance, and overall well-being.

Napping is basically classified into three types:

• Planned napping/preparatory napping occurs when a person takes a nap before a night's sleep because he or she is aware that it will be later than normal to go to bed at night.
• Emergency napping is when a person falls asleep suddenly because he or she is too tired to carry on the task they are originally engaged in. This type of napping is commonly seen in persons with hectic work schedules and long work hours.
• Habitual napping occurs when a person takes a nap at the same time every day. Children and the elderly usually indulge in this type of napping.

In today's world, most people have stressful, hectic, and long work schedules. This may be why napping is often considered a sign of laziness, lack of ambition, and low standards at work. Napping is sometimes believed to be meant only for children, sick people, and the elderly. These are a few wrong beliefs that exist even today.

Although the duration of naps is believed to be associated with loss of productivity and sleep inertia, a short 20-30 minute nap in the daytime has actually been proven to be beneficial to humans. Various studies conducted on napping show that a daily short nap of about 20 minutes increases performance across a range of performance tasks. Hence, the habit is also popularly known as a "power nap."

 Various studies conducted on the effects of napping on humans show that there are multiple benefits of short-duration napping, such as:

1. Restoring wakefulness: A study conducted on the effects of daytime napping on adult humans showed that a nap taken any time during the day improved an individual's reaction time. A short-duration nap in a day helps to restore wakefulness. In fact, a nap as short as 10 minutes is shown to promote performance and learning.
2. Improving cardiovascular function: Occupational health physicians conducted a study on night-shift workers at a bakery. In this study, a two-hour nap was enforced on the workers suffering from high blood pressure, and its effects on their blood pressure were noted. The findings revealed that there was indeed a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure of the workers who took the nap. An independent epidemiological study also showed that there was a decrease in the risk of cardiovascular dysfunctions in individuals who take short naps several times a week.
3. Suppressing sleepiness during the day: It is known that taking a short-duration nap during the daytime suppresses sleepiness and increases performance. This is why many companies have created the “nap room” where employees can take short power naps during their stressful, long work hours.
4. Enhancing memory and learning: A study by Dr. Rebecca Spencer and her colleagues at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on the relationship between early childhood naps and memory formation, showed that classroom naps can enhance memory, support learning, improve reasoning, and solve problems. In this study, polysomnography (a collection of brainwaves) was conducted on children while they were taking naps. The results showed a distinct bust of brain activity on the EEG, which corresponded to enhanced memory performance.
5. Managing circadian disruption: It has been seen that changes in our lifestyle result in problems related to our sleep cycle. This is known as circadian disruption. This may occur due to changes in the sleep-wake cycle, jet lag, or inability to get sleep in the time allotted for sleep. A short nap is seen to manage this circadian disruption.
6. Improving cognitive function: Short-duration naps are believed to reduce cognitive dysfunctions and help improve memory performance, working memory, judgment and evaluation, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.

After knowing the health benefits of napping, it is advisable to take short-duration naps. In our stressful lifestyle, napping not only reduces our physical and mental stress but also helps us achieve physical and mental well-being. It also helps us improve our work performance and promotes an active lifestyle.