Useful Tips to Get the Most of Your Naptime


Even though sleep is considered a necessity to all, not everyone gets to enjoy the luxury of the much-needed 7 to 8 hours of rest every night. Work, stress, family, and relationships are some of the common reasons why many of us are not getting the sleep we need. More often than not, the lack of sleep deprivation results in overwhelming feelings of lethargy and tiredness in the day. But before you pick up a cup of coffee, consider taking a short nap instead. You’ll be surprised at how a mid-day snooze could actually give you an added mental boost, increase in productivity, and improved cognitive functioning.

Unfortunately, however, it is a little more complicated than that. Naps aren’t just naps. Getting that shuteye at the right time of the day and for the right length of time doesn’t just give you the rest you need, but also helps optimize the results you get from it.

Here are some of our tips on getting the most of your naptime.

Avoid Napping If You’re An Insomniac


Before we even go into today’s topic, we need to lay down rule number one: avoid napping if you suffer from insomnia. If you’re heavily sleep deprived, of course, a short daytime snooze will do you a lot of good. If you’re an insomniac, however, that nap may not be such a good idea.

Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night means that it’s all the more important for you to “build up” that need for sleep through the day. Avoid temptation to nap, so that it’ll be easier to fall asleep once you hit the bed in the pm.

Try Taking a Breath of Fresh Air Instead of a Nap

Feeling sleepy after lunch is a problem a lot of us have faced. Instead of turning to sleeping as a solution, try heading out for a short 15-minute walk and some fresh air for a change. If stress or a busy schedule is the cause of your lack of energy, spending that little bit of time outdoors may work even better.

Feeling sleepy between one and three in the afternoon doesn’t necessarily mean that you need sleep. Oftentimes, it’s just an indicator that you need sunlight. When your core body temperature drops in the afternoon, it signals to your brain to produce melatonin, which is chemical that induces sleep.

Don’t Go Beyond 30

Limit yourself to no more that half an hour of napping. In fact, short naps should only last between 25 to 30 minutes. Anything beyond that could possibly have you entering deep sleep and waking up feeling even more tired. This 30-minute “power” nap, as some would call it, is ideal for those who need the mid-afternoon rest due to the lack of sleep the previous night. So, the next time you’re about to get that shut-eye, set your alarm for 30 minutes – and not a second more.

If Time Permits, Go Into Full Cycle

If there is nothing holding you back and you really could do with more sleep, go ahead. A full sleep cycle will last around 90 minutes, allowing your body to sink into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is a normal stage of sleep that helps you make up for lost sleep and even poses the ability to boost creativity.

A Short Nap is Still a Nap


We have all gone through the torturous familiarity of extremely tiredness and what feels like hundred-pound eyelids. If you have ever reached such severity of sleep deprivation, you know for a fact that a nap, no matter short, is what you really need. A study in 2002 found that sleeping for just 10 minutes could result in improved levels of alertness and energy.

Don’t Nap After 4 in the Afternoon


Although there is nothing really wrong with napping in the afternoon, we advise against snoozing once it has passed 4 in the afternoon. If you are going to fall asleep too near your actual bedtime, there is a very high chance you will find it difficult to fall asleep at night.

The last thing you would want to is to disrupt your body clock by sleeping in the day and not being able to sleep at night. The cycle will continue with you waking up feeling like you haven’t had sufficient sleep, then feeling sleepy in the afternoon again.

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