According to a survey conducted in 2017 by the National Safety Council, a nonprofit advocating for workplace safety, 2 out of 3 respondents claimed to feel exhausted at work. 53% found themselves less productive, and 44% faced trouble while focusing. Things are expected to be even worse now because of the pandemic, as our new schedules mess with our sleep. So, naps appear to be an apparent solution to our new sleeping difficulties. Though they can help, however, they aren’t always the right strategy for a proper rest. Read this article to explore the different benefits of good naps, plus how to take a nap to feel completely refreshed.
Benefits of Napping
Yes, there is a right way to nap! When done properly, there’s nothing wrong with taking a nap. Short sleep can boost your mental and physical health. Let’s find out the benefits.
- Better Focus
Taking a power nap makes you feel more alert leading to the effective functioning of your brain. Naps decrease the adenosine level inside the brain. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter to boost sleep and plays a significant role in understanding things in a better way.
- Better Memory
Naps promote memory consolidation when our brain transforms information into long-term memory. A good nap just after learning something new seems to help us retain that information. It has also been found that napping can help with perceptual learning, which is being able to differentiate between various stimuli and episodic memory by recalling particular events or experiences.
- Better Immunity
Apart from frequently washing your hands and practicing physical distancing, regular napping improves your immune system. Sleep deprivation enhances the discharge of pro-inflammatory markers and leads to immunodeficiency. Counterbalancing this with napping during the day for many days boosts the immune system and cellular function. The naps help to minimize levels of inflammatory cytokines and norepinephrine, a chemical to control immunity.
How Long Should the Nap Be?
You need to strike a perfect balance when it comes to taking a nap by not dozing for too little or too much time. It has been observed that for maximum individuals, the 20- to 30-minute power nap happens to be the sweet spot to enhance alertness and focus. Waking up almost half an hour after falling asleep for a nap proves you’re in the initial stages of the sleep cycle and won’t feel drowsy upon waking. On the contrary, extremely long naps may interfere with the quality of your nighttime sleep as well as a few people can get into cycles of napping by day and sleeping poorly at night as a result. But if you’re literally struggling, then a 90-minute nap may work wonders. This nap ensures that a complete sleep cycle has occurred, helping avoid dizziness.
How to Take a Nap?
If you want the most beneficial naps, then you need to adhere to the following suggestions:
- Nap between 1 pm and 3 pm as these are the hours that are a natural slump time for humans. Any attempt to nap earlier than that probably wouldn’t be permitted by your body as it isn’t ready for extra sleep. Whereas if you nap later than that, then it can disrupt your sleep during the night.
- You may wish to nap on a couch or cozy chair instead of your bed. You don’t wish to feel too comfortable and sleep for very long, as this may make it challenging to wake up.
- Set up your ambiance as you prepare yourself to sleep during the night. Make the environment as cool, dark, and quiet as possible. You can even try an eye mask or a white noise machine if those could be of any help to you.
- Contemplate a coffee nap as drinking a cup of coffee just before you lie down may help. After waking, you feel refreshed from the nap and the caffeine begins to kick in, both of which can be an extremely productive post-nap experience. But you should refrain from doing this, too late in the day, or it may make it difficult to fall asleep at night.
How to Nap During the Day?
If you plan to nap during the afternoon, then you can bank on blackout curtains to darken your room as much as possible. Ensure that you nap at the same time daily. Moreover, a wind-down period before your nap can be helpful. Switch off all your devices and take a few minutes to sit quietly, or even meditate if you find the practice soothing enough.
Is It Okay to Nap at Night?
Taking a nap at night will be okay if your working hours are at night or if you’re on an irregular work schedule. Follow the same 20- to 30-minute nap, or 90 minutes if you’re literally sleep-deprived. You should even avoid napping too close to the time when you wake up or when you’ll fall asleep again. Determine what the midpoint of your shift is. Is it the nighttime equivalent of 1 pm to 3 pm for a 9-to-5 job?
How to Wake Up?
As napping for too long can leave you to feel groggier, you’ll possibly wish to set an alarm that increases in volume gradually as they tend not to scare someone out of sleep. Choose a song with a quiet beginning. Then building louder is a perfect solution. Also, you may try an alarm clock with a light that brightens slowly. Napping at the same time daily for the period will also help your body become used to waking up.
Conclusion
Apart from supporting our mental health, naps make us more productive, and may even boost our immunity. Limit your nap to 20 to 30 minutes and choose the same sleeping environment every night. An alarm clock or some pre-nap caffeine can also help you wake up feeling more energized from a nap with a clearer head.
