{{ "Magic behind 'the coffee nap'" | translate }}

{{ "Caffeine impacts our brain in a very sophisticated way. It is structurally similar to adenosine, the chemical molecule in our brains that causes drowsiness and makes us feel tired. It is least present when we sleep and we can observe its highest concentration during waking periods. It builds up as the days passes, slowing down the brain activity and makes us feel tired." | translate }}

{{ "As soon as caffeine enters our brain, it is trying to make its way through by competing with adenosine and eventually blocks the access to our brain receptors. The less adenosine, the more awake we are." | translate }}

{{ "The concentration of adenosine decreases when we take a nap and while the coffee has not yet kicked in (it takes around 20-30 minutes for our body to absorb caffeine), the adenosine does not need to compete with caffeine. As a result, when we wake up, our brain says 'goodbye' to adenosine, blocks the receptors to accummulate more adenosine and facilitates the absorbtion of caffeine." | translate }}

{{ "This is the whole chemical magic behind the the coffee nap." | translate }}

{{ "Siesta scientifically" | translate }}

{{ "There have been several studies investigating the phenomenon of 'coffee nap' such as" | translate }} {{ "Laboratory and field studies of naps and caffeine from 2006" | translate }}  {{ 'concluding that "napping plus caffeine helps improve performance and alertness of night-shift workers."' | translate }}

{{ "Another" | translate }} {{ "study about combination of caffeine with a short nap from 1997" | translate }}  {{ "demonstrates both behavioral and cognitive consequences of the coffee nap. The participants have been given a dose of 200 mg of caffeine following by a short 15-minute long nap. Later, they have been asked to participate in a driving test during a continuous monotonous afternoon drive in a car simulator. The conclusion was that people who took nap combined with caffeine had better driving performance comparing to the group of people who just took a nap or just took a coffee alone." | translate }}

{{ 'The researchers at The University of Pennsylvania remind that although consuming an increased doses of caffeine may seem to make us feel more alert and awake, remind that "it is important for caffeine consumers to understand that caffeine at any dose is not a chemical substitute for adequate healthy sleep and when the pressure for sleep is high, caffeine has little effect on preventing performance deficits and sleep attacks". In their' | translate }} {{ "study published in October 2014" | translate }}  {{ "it is revealed that while taking naps alone is an effective way to feel more awake, the inevitable side effect such as grogginness and inertia can be reduced by caffeine. Combining the two components and practicing it in the right proportion of caffeine and time of the nap, coffee naps can help a person wake up more refreshed than a typical nap." | translate }}

{{ "More about the phenomenon" | translate }}

{{ "In the Mediterranean, it’s still very common to take a nap in the late afternoon. Especially In Spain the" | translate }} {{ "siesta" | translate }}  {{ "is still a time-honored tradition that happens right after the afternoon meal (Spanish people tend to have a small coffee after lunch) and has been a practice for decades." | translate }}

{{ 'In Greece there is an expression “Ores kinis isihias” which means "quiet time" taking place in the late afternoon hours. What s interesting is that there is a law that officially forbids any noise and loud music between 3-5 pm. It seems that the Greeks take the napping seriously, and it does make sense if we look at some scientific data.' | translate }}

{{ "In a" | translate }} {{ "large study" | translate }}  {{ "researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Athens Medical School (UAMS) found that the siesta habit reduced coronary mortality by 37% among men and women. The research has been based on 23,681 individuals living in Greece who, at the beginning of the study, had no history of coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer, and were followed for an average of 6.3 years." | translate }} {{ 'To conclude, the findings suggest that the period between lights-out and sleep-onset is associated with the largest acute reduction in blood pressure during an afternoon siesta.' | translate }}