New research shows that a short afternoon nap can make a disproportionate improvement to your health, work performance and even sex life.

A new book by Harvard University sleep expert Dr Sara Mednick, Take a Nap! Change Your Life, describes the simple process of taking a nap as a “lifesaving habit”.

Dr Mednick, a psychologist and research scientist, has accumulated a lot of evidence that a simple siesta in the afternoon is the best medicine for a happier, healthier life. People who sleep for 30 minutes at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower chance of a heart attack, according to a lead researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr Mednick also claims that snoozers make fewer mistakes and have boosted brainpower. One of her experiments involved one group taking a nap, another group taking a mug of coffee (200mg of caffeine), and a control group taking a placebo (an inert substance).

They were then given a series of tasks, including typing and spatial skill tests. The coffee drinkers performed much worse than the placebo takers, while the nappers performed best of all. So the common assumption that coffee will keep you going through the day is an urban myth — or was probably fed to us by copywriters promoting sales of coffee.

In another study, recently published in Nature Neuroscience journal, the good doctor put 30 well-rested people through the same set of tasks four times in the course of a day, starting at 9am through to 7pm — a typical working day for freelances and the self-employed.

Performance dropped by 50 percent in those who stayed awake all day. However, the volunteers who took an afternoon nap kept up their performance throughout the day.

NASA gets in on the act too. Tests show that astronauts who took a brief snooze doubled their alertness, even if they were not tired before the nap. They also increased their work productivity by at least 13 percent.

The ideal time to nap is between 1pm and 3pm which enables the most restful kind of sleep pattern for boosting performance.

Day three of Daylight Savings Time and I’m still groggy. It’s only one hour and you wouldn’t think I would miss it that much. Besides, there was that extra hour we got last fall when we went to Standard Time. Somehow it just doesn’t even out.

According to Dr. Maha Alattar, assistant professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, most people will adjust within a few days but we can use this time to establish good sleeping habits.

Atattar has some suggestions for getting through the transition and for setting healthy sleep patterns for the whole year. Here are just a few:

– Most importantly, don’t resort to medications just to adjust to daylight-saving time. “This is a transitory period. Most people adjust within a few days.”

– Wake up at your regular time, according to the clock. Even though 6 a.m. will be 7 a.m., stay on your schedule.

– Get a dose of sunshine in the morning to quickly reset circadian rhythms. Sunlight is most the powerful regulator.

– Don’t drink caffeine after 10 a.m. or lunchtime.

– Don’t take a nap; work through the sluggishness until bedtime.

– Avoid a heavy meal three hours before bed.

– End your exercise routine at least three to four hours before bedtime.

– Take a warm shower or bath before bed.

Use Daylight-Saving Change To Practice Healthy Sleep Habits For Adults, Children

Ever since Man discovered fire, he has been lighting up the night but in modern times, night-illumination has become light pollution. Third shift workers are exposed to bright light throughout the night, electric lighting makes it possible for people to never experience complete darkness regardless of the hour.

In homes across America, hallways and children’s bedrooms are illuminated by nightlights, dispelling the darkness and alleviating fears. These tiny lights make nighttime trips to the bathroom safer and some people are not able to sleep unless there is some light. But if you sleep under full light, researchers say, it can have adverse effects on your health.

Night is when your body synthesizes melatonin, a hormone that impacts the endocrine system and prevents cancerous growth formation. Light during night hours suppresses the synthesis of melatonin. In experiments with mice, those kept under permanent light were more susceptible to chemical carcinogens and died more often under the light pollution conditions.

Light pollution also causes sleep disturbance, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, metabolic derangements and, may increase the risk of developing diabetes.

The research was done by Professor N.N. Pertov Scientific Research Institute of Oncology, Russian Ministry of Healthcare, and Petrozavodsk State University.