Taking a nap can delay brain atrophy

   If you don't love sports and can't resist the temptation of delicious food, you can try taking a half hour nap every day. The study found that regular naps can delay brain atrophy for three to six years, which should be the most effortless health habit.

   Researchers from University College London, UK, pointed out that regular naps are good for the brain and can delay brain atrophy.

  The research team found that the brains of people who have a nap habit are 15 cubic centimeters larger than those who do not, which is equivalent to delaying aging by three to six years.However, the scientists recommend keeping naps to less than half an hour. The brain naturally shrinks with age, but whether naps could help prevent diseases like Alzheimer's will still need extra research. Brain health is crucial for preventing dementia, which is related to poor sleep.

  Napping might boost health, but the reverse is also true as your health can leave you so tired you need to nap more.

  So researchers used a clever technique to demonstrate the benefits of taking a nap. They used data from a very large Natural experiment based on DNA. Previous research has found that there are 97 fragments in human DNA that determine whether you enjoy taking naps or not. Therefore, the team sampled the data of 35000 people aged between 40 and 69 who participated in the UK Biobank program, and compared the natural nappers and non nappers. 

  The results, published in the journal Sleep Health, showed a 15 cubic centimetre difference - equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of ageing.