Your Afternoon Snooze Has Rules: Tips for Taking the Perfect Nap
It’s time to stop shaming naps. While naps can disrupt your sleep at night if you’re not careful, there’s a way to get the best of both worlds – daytime naps and Get a good night’s sleep. Next time you’re refueling with a nap, remember these six daily strategies to do it right.
For additional tips on getting the best quality sleep, see below Seven natural sleep aids to treat insomnia and how Create the perfect resting environment.
Tips: How to take a nap without ruining your sleep
A collective sigh of relief: You can be grateful that you can enjoy your afternoon nap without feeling like you’re ruining your sleep cycle for the next five days.
While some people (as mentioned above) should generally avoid naps, with the right strategies, most people can enjoy naps and still get quality sleep as the world goes dark. Here are six things to remember before your next nap.
1. Plan a nap in the early afternoon
The earlier you nap (once you start to feel sleepy), the better. Like long naps, napping too late in the day can disrupt your sleep and keep you up all night. Although each person’s circadian rhythm is unique, most people Decreased alertness around 1 to 3 p.m. If you can get to a quiet area during this time, it’s your best bet for a good night’s sleep without disrupting your night’s sleep.
The room in which you nap should have minimal light. This is difficult to achieve without curtains that darken the room during the day, so be sure to invest in some if you nap a lot.
2. Set the scene
If you’re going to take a nap, you might as well optimize it. Your nap environment should be as peaceful as your sleep environment. Ideally, you’ll nap in the same place you sleep. Nap in a quiet environment – little to no light, comfortable temperature, Pillows that suit the way you sleep – Helps you fall asleep faster and enjoy the benefits of a short nap.
3. Take a nap without guilt
Naps should make you feel better, not worse. Don’t let napping make you feel guilty for working late or getting more done—you need the extra rest for a reason. Saying things like, “If I take a nap now, I’ll have to stay up late to do (insert task),” you may further disrupt your sleep cycle and cause you to develop a shameful mindset about napping, as if it’s something you’d never do It should do the same thing. So, as long as you’re still meeting your main obligations, you can take a nap without guilt.
If you’re still feeling guilty about taking an afternoon nap, remember that some cultures do Incorporate naps into their collective daily routinewhich should be enough proof that naps are good for you.
4. Keep naps short
More naps are not always better. this mayo clinic suggest people Take a nap of 10 to 20 minutes. This may seem ridiculously short — or even pointless — but research shows that such long naps Increase alertness There’s no groggy post-nap feeling that most people are familiar with. A nap of just 30 minutes can induce "sleep inertia”, performance will be affected for a period of time after a nap.
If you take a nap that lasts an hour or more, it can seriously damage your circadian rhythm. Dr. Ramiz Fargo, Medical Director Loma Linda University Sleep Disorders Centersays waking up from a longer nap can make you feel groggy and cranky because it requires you to wake up from a deeper sleep. This may negate the benefits you’re hoping to get from a nap (ie: alertness).
5. Don’t mix naps with screen time
The purpose of naps is to make you feel better, not worse. Sandwich your nap in between screen time will make naps less effective because Psychosocial Impact of Screen Time (especially social media use) may negate any peace you get from napping.
If you have a career that requires computer use, you may not be able to avoid screen time before taking a nap. But this is all the more reason to avoid using screens for a while after a nap. put your phone away And do some things to extend your relaxation time: meditate For five minutes, stretch your arms and legs, take a short walk or Eat healthy snacks. Then get back to work or complete whatever tasks are required of you.
6. Don’t use caffeine as a substitute for naps
Everyone is very busy, and Burnout is in a all time high ——But the pressure and anxiety About work and life keeping us all moving at 100 mph. It’s often tempting to drink an extra cup of coffee to fuel yourself through the afternoon, thinking it’ll cross more things off your to-do list, but taking a nap is better for your body.
Afternoon caffeine intake is linked to nighttime wakefulness, even if you drink coffee in the afternoon Drink coffee six hours ago Went to bed. Drinking espresso three hours before bed delays the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy nearly an hour.
However, short naps can reduce sleepiness, Improve concentration and Increase productivity No scary caffeine crash.
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Why we feel sleepy in the afternoon
You’ll feel a natural drop in energy and focus after lunch, which is known as the “afternoon slump.” this is part of you circadian rhythmthe biological clock in the body that regulates sleep cycles. It is caused by fluctuations in hormones and neurotransmitters (especially cortisol and adenosine).
cortisol Makes you feel awake and alert. Cortisol levels in your body are typically higher when you first wake up and decrease steadily throughout the day. However, your body produces more cortisol in response to certain stimuli, such as exercise, which is why exercising in the afternoon can help you feel more alert.
AdenosineOn the other hand, it can make you feel sleepy, causing your body to secrete more sleepiness over time. (Fun fact: caffeine Block adenosine receptors on cellswhich is why it keeps you alert. )
In addition to your natural body clock, sleep quality, diet, caffeine intake, room temperature, screen time and exercise habits can also influence afternoon fatigue levels. sleep disorders, e.g. sleep apnea and insomnia, which can also lead to daytime sleepiness.
Who should not take a nap?
Dr. Fargo told CNET that most people can nap and still enjoy a healthy sleep cycle, but people with insomnia should avoid naps.
For those who already experience nighttime insomnia, napping may exacerbate the problem and cause sleep impairment in a variety of ways, including:
If you haven’t been diagnosed with a sleep disorder and don’t typically have problems falling asleep or having trouble staying asleep at night, you can most likely be able to nap without any problems.
