What does the research say about napping? There have been quite a few studies that point out some impressive gains when we nap. Here are some of them:

• improved relaxation
• increased alertness
• positive moods
• enhanced personal performance — such as a better memory

In our world of work (or school) providing naps isn’t typically an option. As real as the benefits appear to be, the logistics just don’t work.

But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things we can do to help set the conditions for improved student performance. I’ve blogged about several of these in the past:

• “Can We Go Outside Today?” – Research shows that being-one-with-nature is positively linked to improvements in student perseverance, problem solving, critical thinking, resilience, teamwork and even leadership skills.
• “The Struggle is Real” – Research shows that struggling is absolutely critical to mastery and that the highest achieving people in the world are those who have struggled the most. Making mistakes is a necessary requirement for brain development.
• “How Playing Can Build Strong Mental Health” – Play is recognized as a critical learning mode for developing key skills — things like problem solving, collaboration, listening, teamwork, empathy and understanding. We need to remind ourselves that empowering our children means providing them with time to play at school and at home to build these critical life skills.

There are some interesting observations about these ideas:

1. While incredibly important in some ways, technology isn’t listed as a tool to improve mental health or self-improvement.
2. Our brains function and grow best when we allow ourselves to be immersed in natural environments and processes like play.
3. Providing our children with quick answers or reducing their processing time does not build the coping skills or mental health vitality so necessary for personal success.

Maybe we can’t take naps in school, but we can remind ourselves to do some of these other things to reinforce student success.

But … if you CAN find a way to nap, here’s another piece of great news.

Some research is showing a strong correlation between short, regular naps and continued brain health as we age. It suggests that daytime napping could significantly slow the rate at which brains shrink as we grow older with one estimate showing a 15 cubic centimeter difference between those who nap and those who don’t — that’s equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of aging.

So, if I start napping now …