While you may think of napping as a luxury reserved for the weekends, taking quick power naps throughout the workweek is not without its benefits — just make sure your boss is okay with it first! Here are four of the most important health benefits of napping:

1) It increases your level of alertness.
Even a 40-minute nap will increase how alert you are by a full 100 percent. Just think of the ways that extra energy will improve your work performance or help you tackle chores around the home!

2) It boosts memory retention.
If you take a mid-afternoon nap when you start to feel tired, once you wake up you’ll be able to remember more facts and deliver a better performance without feeling sluggish.

3) It prevents disease.
That’s right: napping regularly not only improves your brain function, it also improves your overall health. Napping for just 30 minutes a day a few times a week is said to decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes and help your body to heal itself more quickly.

4) It makes you happier.
It may seem like common sense that you feel less grumpy after a nap, but there’s more to it than that. Napping increases your brain’s production of the mood-enhancing neurotransmitter serotonin, which increases overall feelings of well-being and decreases stress.

Napping: Do's and don'ts for healthy adults [Mayo Clinic]
The Health Benefits Of Napping: Resting Can Help Reduce Stress And Protect Immune System [Medical Daily]
Unleash the Power of the Nap [The Art of Manliness]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/qJake

Everything is starting to bud and bloom! What are you doing to enjoy this lovely change in weather?

With its light, fluffy exterior and its thick chicken stew inside, chicken pot pie is a classic recipe that will make you feel warmer and cozier with every bite. If you want to adapt this time-honored dish for your own friends or family, here are three great recipes to show you how.

Ina Garten’s Chicken Pot Pie [foodnetwork.com]
You can be sure that the Barefoot Contessa herself will have a few things to add to such a classic dish. Ina Garten’s pot pie gets an elegant makeover with the addition of fresh parsley leaves and chicken bouillon cubes, and serving it in miniature bowls makes it even more chic.

Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie [bettycrocker.com]
If you’ve been dreaming of chicken pot pie but you’re short on time, this six-ingredient recipe is the perfect solution. It uses frozen vegetables, cream of chicken soup, and biscuit mix to make pot pie easier than ever.

The Epicurious Chicken Pot Pie [epicurious.com]
When you have the time to make the crust, chicken, and filling all from scratch, this is the recipe to use. This pot pie is perfect for a dinner party with your foodie friends, as it incorporates complex ingredients like black peppercorns, dry white wine, and dried chanterelle mushrooms along with the usual meat and veggies.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Mathew Packer