Napping and its effect on metabolism and weight loss

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oinkerjnn
oinkerjnn Posts: 85 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
There seems to be conflicting arguments on this one. Does is make your body "restart" its metabolism when you take a nap? Or is it essentially the same as laying on the couch doing nothing for an hour?

I get plenty of sleep, usually around seven hours a night. I wake up without an alarm clock 90% of the time feeling well rested having slept soundly through the night. Maybe wake up once a week to use the bathroom.

I eat enough calories, I don't eat processed sugars (or hardly any sugar not from fruit for that matter), so I don't think wanting to nap is food related. I drink alcohol very rarely.

But on a rainy afternoon I love me an hour long nap. I guess the picture I'm trying to paint is my body isn't screaming at me telling me to lay down and rest, I just enjoy it, and I wake up feeling refreshed.

Is this a negative, a positive, or a nonissue altogether?

Replies

  • timrpm
    timrpm Posts: 57 Member
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    I tend to exercise quite vigorously in the morning, then a short nap in the afternoon helps with my recovery.

    I read that if you have the luxury of time it's a healthy addition to an exercise programme.
  • JoeCampbell85
    JoeCampbell85 Posts: 140
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    I think it is a nonissue as far as cumulative weight loss goes. I believe it does have positive health and neurological effects, however. It definitely won't hurt your weight loss.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
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    I think it is a nonissue as far as cumulative weight loss goes. I believe it does have positive health and neurological effects, however. It definitely won't hurt your weight loss.
    Thats what I was gonna say.
  • elizabethymartin
    elizabethymartin Posts: 198 Member
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    timrpm wrote: »
    I tend to exercise quite vigorously in the morning, then a short nap in the afternoon helps with my recovery.

    I read that if you have the luxury of time it's a healthy addition to an exercise programme.

    Thank the good lord cuz I love me a nap and when I work out in the morning, my body is begging for one, and I feel so reguvinated afterwards, can walk to my errands and take extra steps / calisthenics added to my housework but I was worried it was going to slow my metabolism. If I had to choose between food and a nap, I couldn't. Lol
  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,129 Member
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    I nap most afternoons but i'm also up a lot of time before 5 am. and do try for a walk every morning. And today i'm adding water exercise to that. So yes a nap will be needed this afternoon.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    JoeCampbell85 wrote: »
    I think it is a nonissue as far as cumulative weight loss goes. I believe it does have positive health and neurological effects, however. It definitely won't hurt your weight loss.

    Definitely. Weight loss is all about burning more calories than you eat in a specified period of time (a 24 hour period is the easiest to figure for). It doesn't matter if you are resting for part of that time. Even sleep does not affect weight loss because it is all figured in to the calories out part of the equation.

    Naps can do wonders for your brain and many feel more energized and ready for the rest of the day after one. Spending a rainy day under a blanket reading a book or taking a nap is one of the great pleasures in life. Enjoy!

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