Dr. Dan Weiswasser, American physiologist, and Alannah DiBona, nutrition specialist, spoke about all the pros and cons of daytime sleep, as well as how it affects the metabolism.
It is quite an interesting and controversial issue. On the one hand, daytime sleep is good. On the other hand, during sleep all the body processes are slowed down. Won’t day nap hurt those who want to lose weight?
Metabolism and day nap
The first thing to understand is that metabolism cannot be fooled by a couple of small tricks. Yes, during sleep all the processes in the body slow down: the heart rate, breathing, digestion and others. But metabolism is an extremely complicated mechanism, which cannot be affected by a one-hour-long afternoon nap.
The only way to speed up metabolism is regular exercise
It is also important to remember that muscle growth and fat burning occur mainly while having a rest.
Changes in metabolism due to daytime sleep immediately disappear.
After waking up, all the processes return to their usual speed. After an afternoon nap, it happens even faster. Dr. Weiswasser also notes that the slowing of metabolism should not worry the people who are leading a sedentary lifestyle or work at the computer: their metabolism is low.
Therefore, moving from the computer to the couch for a little nap will not slow down your metabolism.
The advantages of day nap outweigh the disadvantages
Dr. DiBona says one should not worry about the speed of metabolism, since the benefits of daytime nap are greater. It lowers the level of cortisol, which is responsible for depositing subcutaneous fat, and makes you more energetic after awakening.
So do not worry about the shortcomings of daytime nap. There are hardly any, while its advantages, on the contrary, will help you be more energetic and fresh.
