Sleep constitutes about a third of our lives and is essential for maintaining health and replenishing energy. When we suffer from a lack of sleep, we realize that it is a vital need and not just an occasional desire. But do we need sleep during the day as much as we need sleep at night?
In a report published by Psychology Today magazine, author Vanessa Lobio, a professor of psychology at Rutgers University in New Jersey who specializes in the development of infants and children, said that sleep is not necessary for all creatures, as some of them may not be affected by the lack of sleep, while complete deprivation of it leads to death. In others, according to studies on mice and flies.
She added that if people do not get enough sleep, their ability to perform daily tasks may be affected and they may become vulnerable to mood and health problems, as sleep plays an important role in reactivating the brain and consolidating daily memories.
The importance of sleep for children
The author showed that sleep is extremely important for children, as the brain grows rapidly in their first years, and newborn children sleep for long periods of up to 20 hours a day, and as they grow older, their awake time gradually increases, but they continue to take regular naps from the age of two to Fourth.
A classic study on newborns has shown that REM sleep, the stage in which the brain is most active, plays an important role in the development of the immature visual system in infants.
In an explanation of that study, the author explained that infants who were exposed to low visual stimulation, by viewing a simple gray square, were more in need of rapid eye movement sleep compared to infants who saw a square containing black and white lines, which indicates the role of the nap in compensating for the lack of stimulation. visual while awake.
The author pointed out that sleep plays an essential role in consolidating memories, as studies have shown that infants who take a nap after learning are more able to remember what they have learned.
She explained that this continues until pre-school age, as children at this age show a better ability to retrieve memories if they get adequate sleep, noting that delaying sleep may lead to difficulty retrieving memories.
Napping and the development of the hippocampus
The author stated that the nap is essential in the development of the hippocampus, which is a part of the brain linked to learning and storing memories, as the hippocampus is not fully developed at birth, and does not reach its full effectiveness until the child reaches the age of 18 to 24 months, which makes it difficult to remember events before this stage. It’s difficult.
She explained that a nap helps the hippocampus consolidate memories during the development stage of this part of the brain, and when its development is complete, children’s need for a nap decreases, noting that some children who maintain the habit of napping regularly may forget information faster than those who do not sleep during the day, which indicates The hippocampus is more developed in the second group.
The importance of napping for teens and adults
The author showed that naps are not only beneficial for children; Although teenagers need fewer hours of sleep, a nap may also be beneficial for them, especially since many of them suffer from lack of sleep. Napping also helps elderly people reduce the feeling of drowsiness and improve mental performance.
The author explained that a nap does not necessarily affect the quality of sleep at night for the elderly, but it helps adults improve mood, enhance alertness, and perform mental tasks.
But the effect of a nap depends – according to the author – on several factors, such as its timing and duration, as short naps are more effective than long naps, which means that daytime sleep is more beneficial for an adult if it is at an appropriate time and does not exceed an hour.