Whether napping is part of your routine may depend upon its social acceptability in your part of the world, its practicality as part of your day, and your biology. Young children and the elderly are given the most latitude where napping is concerned in the United States. That doesn’t mean it might not benefit you occasionally or as part of your daily routine.
What Do I Need to Know About Napping?
There are recognized benefits to napping, if you do it right. However, napping is not for everyone.
1. What Is a Nap?
Naps can mean different things to different people. In an article appearing in Psychology Today, Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., identified nine different naps to meet different needs, ranging from “The CEO Nap,” a short power nap in the mid-afternoon, to “The Nap-A-Latte” when you need a quick boost.
2. Why Do I Want to Nap?
Researchers studying the DNA of a large group of people identified "123 regions in the human genome that are associated with daytime napping," according to The Harvard Gazette. They found "daytime napping is biologically driven and not just an environmental or behavioral choice."
3. What Are the Pros and Cons of Napping?
The benefits of napping can include relaxation, less tiredness, more alertness, better mood, and improved performance, including quicker reaction time and better memory, according to an article on mayoclinic.org. The Sleep Foundation similarly identifies a number of benefits to napping including the restoration of alertness, enhancement of performance, and a reduction in mistakes and accidents.
The drawbacks of napping can include feeling groggy upon waking and having trouble falling asleep at night. Both can be a result of napping for too long or at the wrong time. Additionally, longer naps, more than 90 minutes, “may be a sign of poor quality nighttime sleep,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. In that case, you want to consult with your healthcare provider.
4. When Should I Nap?
Napping for too long or at the wrong time of day can cause you to feel groggy upon waking or to have trouble sleeping at night. Dr. Lawrence Kline, a specialist in internal, pulmonary, and sleep disorders medicine, currently at UC San Diego Health, has focused his practice on sleep apnea and breathing. He recommends any naps be taken early in the afternoon and be limited in length to avoid interfering with falling asleep at night. To see more of Dr. Kline’s recommendations to have a great night’s sleep, take a look at our interview, linked below.
5. How Long Should I Nap?
According to the Sleep Foundation, “The ideal nap length, between 20 and 30 minutes, should help you wake up feeling refreshed without falling into deep sleep.”
If you feel groggy after waking, it might be a result of sleeping too long so that you’ve entered deep or REM sleep. You can read more about the stages of sleep in our article linked below. This “sleep inertia … could make it harder to work and feel alert right after a nap. But it often goes away within about 35 minutes,” according to mayoclinic.org.
6. Where Should I Nap?
Regardless of the type of nap you take, it is important that you find the right environment for your nap, which means a cool, dark, and quiet location with limited distractions. Our head heaven travel pillow or pillowtogo travel pillow and throw plus an eyesdown™ eye mask can turn almost any spot into a great place to rest.
We wish you a great night's sleep and a nap, if you need one!
-Team at down etc
Read more:
What Should You Know About the Stages of Sleep?
Down Etc's Exclusive Interview with Sleep Disorders Medicine Dr. Lawrence Kline
About down etc
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