--- title: Napping reverses the negative health effects of poor sleep description: If you skimp out on sleep, new research says you might be able to reverse many of the negative health effects by napping. canonical: https://time.com/3703317/napping-good-for-you/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-10T21:03:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:21.222Z article:section: Health og:title: Catching a Brief Nap Might Be Good for Your Health og:description: New study finds negative effects of a sleepless night can be undone by forty winks og:url: https://time.com/3703317/napping-good-for-you/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6da26a6b1ad14fa/6986846a13c79f5a47190eaa/98162206.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: woman sleeping og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Catching a Brief Nap Might Be Good for Your Health twitter:description: New study finds negative effects of a sleepless night can be undone by forty winks twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6da26a6b1ad14fa/6986846a13c79f5a47190eaa/98162206.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's Your Health Excuse to Take a Nap > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Should I Eat Pizza? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Pizza?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NvpgAWn5.m3u8) (1:39)  _Published 2015-02-12. You might be surprised that four out of five health experts give pizza the thumbs up. But don’t be fooled: these are not greasy thumbs._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 10, 2015 9:03 PM UTC  Portrait of woman sleeping in bed Portrait of woman sleeping in bed Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 10, 2015 9:03 PM UTC Conventional wisdom used to be that you can never catch up on a lost night of sleep — but a new [study](http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jc.2014-2566) adds weight to the emerging theory that the negative health effects of a sleepless night can actually be reversed by a good nap. In a small study of 11 healthy men published in the _Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism_ (_JCEM_), researchers found that even if the men got only two hours of sleep the night before, they could combat the hormonal havoc caused by poor sleep if they took a couple of brief naps. To reach these results, the researchers had the men undergo two sleep sessions in a lab. In the first, the men only got two hours of sleep and then had their urine and saliva measured and analyzed for hormonal changes. In the second session, the men once again only got two hours of sleep, but this time they also took two 30-minute naps the following day. The men provided saliva and urine samples once again. **MORE:** [Here’s How Much Experts Think You Should Sleep Every Night](http://time.com/3691992/sleep-hours-recommendations/) The study found that when men only slept for two hours, they had a 2.5 increase in norepinephrine, a hormone and neurotransmitter which responds to stress. That increase can up the body’s heart rate and blood pressure. The men also had low levels of the protein interleukin-6 which is critical for having a proper immune response. However, when the men were sleep-deprived but napped the following day, the researchers found there were no changes in either their protein or hormone levels. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that taking a nap can restore out-of-whack hormone levels, and improve immune system health. But to avoid the sluggishness and medical problems that can come from from not getting enough shut eye, try to get the [recommended amount of sleep](http://time.com/3691992/sleep-hours-recommendations/) every night. For adults, that’s 7 to 9 hours. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] You might be surprised that four out five health experts are giving pizza the thumbs up. But don't be fooled. These are not greasy thumbs. Delivery is a nutritional minefield. One slice of sausage has 14 grams of fat. Pizza is the number one source. Of solid fat intake for kids. 20 % of the pizza that kids eat comes from school cafeterias. Which is pretty much equal to the fast food kind in fat finds a study by Jennifer Poti. Beware the fatty, salty topping. Things warns Lisa Powell. Here 2015 study found that on days when kids eat pizza they take in more calories, saturated fat, and sodium then usual. The trick here is rethinking the pie. Pizza can be as harmless as an open faced sandwich filled with vegetables whole grains and even fruits says Adam Drewnowski. It has a lot going for it. Tomato sauce packs more antioxidants than raw tomatoes, found one 2015 study from the University of Barcelona. In one recent study, Emily Combet developed a nutritionally perfect pizza, with less saturated fat. Less sodium and more fiber. 81 % of kids liked it as much as the regular kind, and 77 % agreed. So yes, by all means eat it, but let your love for pizza be your excuse to cook more. 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