One-hour sleep at the office good for your health

Although your boss will not like it, a recent study suggests that 30 minutes of daytime sleep can take away the effect of a poor (short) night rest. 

According to a recent study by Brice Faraut of the Universite Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cite in France, naps appeared to restore hormones and proteins involved in stress and immune function to normal levels in the study.

The study, which was carried out on 11 healthy men between the ages of 25 and 32, showed that a 30-minute nap make up for four to five hours of sleep lost during night time.

“Our data suggests a 30-minute nap can reverse the hormonal impact of a night of poor sleep,” Faraut said

“This is the first study that found napping could restore biomarkers of neuroendocrine and immune health to normal levels.

“The findings support the development of practical strategies for addressing chronically sleep-deprived populations, such as night and shift workers.”

According to CBS news, researchers restricted the volunteers’ sleep to only two hours for a night, after which they were tested.

The test results revealed that they had a 2.5-fold increase in levels of norepinephrine, a stress hormone that increases heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar.

They were also reported to have their immunity reduced, while they had lower levels of a protein called interleukin-6, which fights viruses.

On another night, sleep was limited to two hours again, but this time they were allowed to take two 30-minute naps on the following day, after which they were tested.

The test results revealed that after napping, the men’s norepinephrine and interleukin-6 levels were normal.

Lack of sleep can increase the risk of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression, and insufficient sleep is also associated with reduced work productivity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed.