Should you Nap during the day?
As we age, our culture tends to associate sleeping during the day with laziness — especially among healthy, younger adults. This cultural stigma probably has something to do with our society’s obsession with productivity.
So should we Nap during the day if our energy is low?
Yes, you may benefit from having a daytime nap. But the big question is, for how long?
Short enough, and you won't be recharged. Too long, and you risk waking up feeling groggy and disorientated. So let’s look at a few different nap times.
The 15 - 20 minute power nap
The 15 to 20-minute power nap is short enough to avoid falling into a deep sleep and waking up groggy.
However, the downside of the power nap is that only some people can fall asleep on demand for such a brief time.
The 60-MINUTE Nap
The idea is that longer naps help recharge the body and the mind.
The 60-minute nap allows the brain to go into slow-wave sleep and boosts performance and memory.
The 90-minute Nap
On average, one complete sleep cycle, from first falling asleep to REM sleep, is 90 minutes long.
On completing an entire sleep cycle, you will feel alert and refreshed instead of groggy if you had woken up mid-cycle. REM sleep cycle also boosts your creativity.
Lying down to take a nap when you feel exhausted is one of life’s great pleasures. While I think it’s a given that napping will restore your energy and help you carry on for the rest of the day, there are numerous other benefits to napping.
As it turns out, napping can improve your memory and mood and may be associated with other health benefits.
Naps can help your memory.
One study of 33 subjects found that a 45-minute daytime nap helped participants remember word pairings they learned earlier in the day. Subjects who didn’t nap were less likely to remember the pairings than those who napped.
Naps can help with sleep deprivation
Napping may also reduce the impact of insufficient sleep. For example, a small trial done by the National Center for Biotechnology found evidence that naps relieved stress and supported the immune system in people whose sleep was limited the night before.
Napping not for you?
If Napping is not for you - A short yet invigorating walk outside can deliver a big energy booster.
Part of this effect is due to physical activity. The other part is due to sunlight.
Exposure to sunlight inhibits the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, banishing those mid-afternoon blues.
Happy Napping, everyone.