You’ve made it to 2 p.m. and then the afternoon slump hits like a hammer. Besides a cup of caffeine, what options do you have? Experts say a perfectly planned power nap might be exactly what the doctor ordered (even if your toddler or full-time job disagrees).
Nap timing matters
You might be tempted to let your body dictate when you wake up. But doing that might leave you feeling more tired, so it’s best to keep those power naps within set boundaries and parameters.
“The sweet spot for a power nap is in the range of 15 to 20 minutes,” says Dr. Jerry Hu, a triple board-certified sleep dentist at Nevada Dental Sleep in Henderson, Nevada. “With any nap longer than 30 minutes, deeper stages of sleep will occur and result in more grogginess and fogginess because your
body doesn’t want to wake up.”
You should set your phone alarm before you close your eyes. Nothing can ruin a quick nap like waking up at dinner time wondering what day it is. And don’t sleep too late in the day, either. An early afternoon power nap can be helpful, but too late in the afternoon might set you up for difficulty sleeping at night and a never-ending cycle of poor sleep.
The science behind the power nap
When it comes to sleep, your body operates in various stages of deep and light sleep. Light sleep, like that of a power nap, is a non-REM stage. This is typically when the brain can reset.
However, deeper sleep, like the sleep you might find during longer naps, restores the body.
“Let’s say you sleep for 45 minutes and you hit REM sleep,” says Hu. “In that kind of sleep, your body is basically paralyzed and it starts rejuvenating, which helps with body restoration and memories overall, but the trade-off for being alert, focused and recharged during the work day is best attained with a power nap instead.”
He says that longer naps actually place more demand on the sleep-wake system. This can lead to that groggy, irritable or disoriented feeling you might have after quickly waking up, known as sleep inertia.
Tips for the perfect power nap
Along with setting an alarm and aiming for early afternoon, you can ensure that your power nap is beneficial by creating a calming sleep environment with low lighting, cool temperatures and no screen distractions.
“Power naps do work for the reset benefits,” says Hu. “But it is also very important not to use or depend upon them to replace good, sound, quality sleep at night. If you have sleep breathing disorders, snoring issues, fragmented sleep and gasping or choking at night, with or without acid reflux, you should get a sleep study done by a board-certified sleep physician.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The benefits of the perfectly timed power nap
