Monday is National Napping Day, the day after many in the U.S. lose an hour of sleep as the clocks are moved ahead one hour for daylight saving time.
The holiday is unofficial, International Business Times reported, so nappers are on their own for arranging naptime with their bosses and co-workers. It came about in 1999 when Boston University professor William Anthony wanted to tout the benefits of napping for people.
Many countries in the world observe an afternoon naptime, even closing businesses and letting workers go home for an afternoon siesta, IBT reported. Some of these countries include China, India, and most European countries except Germany.
IBT reported that napping the times a week leads to a 37 percent decrease in deaths from heart disease. Berkeley research also found that brain power was boosted and restored by a one-hour nap.
The perfect time for a nap is eight hours after rising and before going to sleep, IBT said. Also, blood pressure lowers in some cases by just thinking about taking a nap. Lucky Google workers have access to nap pods where they can snooze during work hours.
Studies showed that taking a nap actually helps people sleep longer and fall asleep faster at night, Tipsy Writer reported.
Naps shorter than half an hour usually improve alertness, according to Prevention. Longer naps can leave people feeling groggy if they wake up at the wrong part of a sleep cycle.
Twitter users had mixed reactions to the holiday.
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