National Napping Day was created in 1999 to help people recover from losing an hour of sleep when clocks move forward for Daylight Saving Time.

When clocks move forward in the spring, people lose one hour of sleep. This creates a sleep debt that affects how the brain and body work. On the Monday after the time change, heart attacks increase by 24 percent. Traffic accidents also rise by 6 to 8 percent because drivers are tired.Napping helps fix these problems by lowering sleep pressure in the brain. While you are awake, a chemical called adenosine builds up and makes you feel sleepy. Napping clears this chemical away so you feel more awake. A 1995 NASA study showed that a 26-minute nap improved performance by 34 percent.The human body has a natural energy dip in the early afternoon. During this time, your core body temperature drops slightly. This makes the afternoon the best time for a quick rest. Short naps improve alertness, while naps lasting 60 to 90 minutes help with memory and learning.National Napping Day was started by William Anthony and his wife Camille Anthony. They wanted to show that napping is a healthy tool rather than a sign of laziness. Their goal was to reduce the health risks caused by the sudden loss of sleep each spring.