The Nap is Back: Daytime Snoozes Good for Health

Recent study: More Americans are taking an afternoon snooze

It's official: the catnap is back. Those daytime snooze hours, better known as "naps" or "siestas," could actually improve overall health, moods, and thinking skills, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.

On a typical day, a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey, revealed that a third of the adults in the United States, or 34 percent took a nap in the middle of the day in 2009.

However, more recent research, like the report issued by Allegheny College, tells us that the number of Americans napping on a typical day has grown to more than 41 percent.

Researchers at Allegheny College found that more men than women report that they caught a little snooze in the past 24 hours (38 percent vs. 31 percent.)

More than four-in-ten men, ages 50 and older, say they napped in the past day compared with just 28 percent of women of the same age.

Sleep is the best medicine for those who need to recharge their batteries, but some view snoozing during the day in our workaholic American culture is a sign of laziness.

Researchers disagree.

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