Sleep not only feels good, but it's good for you.
"Short term memory gets converted to long term memory, your body produces growth hormones if you're young,” says Jared Wood, Clinical Sleep Educator, Washoe Sleep Disorders Center.
The team at Washoe Sleep Disorders Center analyzes and treats 88 total diagnosable sleep disorders from narcolepsy to insomnia.
An average adult should get 7 hours of sleep each night, but each case is different. "We are a 24 hour town, a 24 hour region. We have people who work an unnatural shift."
And for that reason, wood says if you can get a nap in, go for it. "In a perfect world, they would be able to sleep 7 or 8 hours in one chunk, but having an unnatural shift like that can make it difficult or impossible."
That's not always the case. One of the most common sleep disorders is insomnia, and by napping during the day, you're doing more harm to your body than good. “Usually we'll ask them to reduce their sleep. Basically that means if you are taking a nap during the day, stop doing that."
Light, noise, temperature could also interfere with rest. "If you've ever tried to sleep with the lights on, it's not easy. Noise is another thing, so obviously you are going to want to build an environment that's conducive to sleep or napping."
