Napping: Helpful or Harmful? The Pros and Cons of Daytime Resting

Getting some sleep, even a short afternoon nap, may seem like a good thing for people with sleep disorders. But for those with insomnia and an already decreased desire to sleep at night, midday shut-eye can actually be counterproductive. So before you curl up on the couch this afternoon, consider whether your quick fix might backfire when you lay down in bed tonight.

Naps can get you through the day...
If you don't usually have a problem getting your Z's at night, a quick nap can work wonders to pull you through an exceptionally tiresome or sleep-deprived day.

In fact, a 2008 City University of New York study found that a 45-minute daytime nap can improve memory function. And previous studies have found that short afternoon siestas can lower blood pressure, and even seem to reduce the risk of death by cardiovascular events.

Those who suffer from narcolepsy or shift-work syndrome—where your sleep-wake patterns are out of sync with everyone else's—may also benefit from daytime naps, says James Wyatt, PhD, director of the Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "Fifteen minutes can keep you going for hours," he says.