Anyone who knows me knows that if I could nap away the day, I easily would. I would like to believe that naps are little gifts from whatever higher being(s) you believe in to turn your day around and help you push through. While napping might seem lazy and unproductive, there are actually multiple positives to taking that little cat nap that we all deserve.

1. Naps help improve your alertness and performance.

A study done by NASA found that taking a 40 minute nap improved the performance of military pilots by 34% and their alertness by 100%. If you're reading this, you probably aren't doing something as strenuous as being a military pilot, but the benefits are still clearly very evident.

2. Napping improves your short term memory.

I've known this since my senior year of high school and have used this as an excuse to nap ever since then. Taking a 15-20 minute nap helps your brain take the time to process the information that you need to store in your memory and what is garbage.

3. Napping gets your creative juices flowing.

A study done by National Geographic found that people who napped enough to let them enter a REM cycle were able to solve problems more creatively.

4. Napping can improve your health.

If you still aren't sold on why to take a nap, another study found that taking a 30 minute nap can improve your immune health and neuroendocrine levels to what is considered normal and healthy.

5. It reduces your stress levels.

I am a firm believer in treat yoself. Naps can literally lower your stress level (and I know all of us are beyond stressed on most days), so go ahead and take that nap because you've earned it.