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If You Want To Be Happy Then You Should Go For A Nap, Apparently

If You Want To Be Happy Then You Should Go For A Nap, Apparently

The news we've all been waiting to hear.

James Dawson

James Dawson

Good news for everyone who loves a bit of shut eye, it's turns out that napping is the key to happiness.

It was already known that sleep boasts a number of health benefits, including increasing productivity and protecting against heart disease, but now scientists have claimed that brief naps have their own, unique advantages.

Professor Richard Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire, said: "Previous research has shown that naps of under 30 minutes make you more focused, productive and creative, and these new findings suggest the tantalising possibility that you can also become happier by just taking a short nap.

"Similarly, longer napping is associated with several health risks and, again, this is in line with our results."

The study saw 1,000 participants answer psychological questions in an online survey which asked for details of napping habits.

According to their responses, nappers were then given a happiness score.

The findings revealed that those who took a brief daytime doze had an average score of 3.67 on a five-point scale, while non-nappers scored 3.52 and long-nappers 3.44.

It also showed that 66 per cent of short nappers reported feeling happy compared with 56 per cent of long nappers.

There were also some interesting differences depending on ages, the study found that while 43 per cent of participants aged 18 to 30 were taking long naps during the day, only 30 per cent of those over the age of 50 were doing the same.

Which comes in stark contrast to another study that said napping meant you were more likely to die young.

As reported in Medical Daily, the 2014 study had researchers follow 16,000 British men and women aged between 40 and 79 over 13 years.


Credit: TCL8TO7 via Flickr

The researchers asked them about their napping habits and found there were people who napped for more than an hour per day, those than napped for less than an hour a day and those who simply didn't nap.

By the end of the 13-year study, people who napped for more than an hour a day were 32% more likely to have died than the non-nappers.

Of course, cause of deaths varied and included heart disease, cancer and respiratory illness, but that didn't stop researchers coming to the conclusion that whatever causes day-time fatigue is causing people to die younger.

So a mixed bag overall but I guess if you're feeling tired you're going to do it anyway.


Featured Image Credit: PA Images