Sleep deprived? Don't nap, snap to it!
Did you know that if you miss a night's sleep because you're pulling an all-nighter for work, school, with a sick child or because you're off your game, you'll experience cognitive and muscle impairment that's equivalent to being over the legal limit for blood alcohol! Sounds like it's time for a nap.
Not quite. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that just 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise is as restorative as taking a 90-minute nap. And who has time for an hour-and-a-half of downtime during a busy day?
So, what's going on in your body while you work out that's so rejuvenating? The stimulation of your body systems -- from your glucose management processes to your gastrointestinal functioning and neural firings -- appears to positively change the brain's electrical patterns so they can properly fire, encode and retrieve memories. Your memory improves by 22%, and you get over feeling drowsy or fatigued.
Examples of smart 20-minute routines include going up and down four to five flights of stairs multiple times, doing jumping jacks (or a modified one-leg-at-a-time version), running in place at your desk, doing "ghost jumps" pretending to be using a jump rope, and cross punches working your upper body, etc. Go through around 20 such revved-up exercises -- each lasting 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of taking it easy. Then you'll be ready to get back to your day, refreshed, energized and stress-free. For more help managing sleep and living younger and healthier, check out michaelfroizenmd.substack.com.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at drmikerealage@gmail.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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