Time for a nap? Yes? But how long should a nap be?
Sleep is a very fundamental variable not only for our health but also for our productivity. We tend to work more and more hours every day, and while doing this, sleep is being sacrificed. Sacrificing sleep is not only unhealthy, but it is also making you tired and unproductive.
Napping can be a great way to balance work and sleep but how long should you nap?
There are different benefits to each nap time as well as some downsides you need to be aware of.
Let’s have a closer look at each of the nap times:
A power nap that will boost your focus and productivity. A length that usually limits you to the lighter stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep, making it easy to get back to work after waking up. Need an extra boost? Try the Caffeine Nap!
Sleeping this amount of time may cause sleep inertia, a hangover-like feeling that may last up to 30 minutes after waking up, before the actual restorative benefits become apparent.
Best for improvement in remembering facts, faces and names. It includes slow-wave sleep, which is the deepest type. The downside: some grogginess upon waking up.
This is a full cycle of sleep, meaning the lighter and deeper stages, including REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This leads to improvement of emotional and procedural memory and enhances creativity. A nap of this length typically avoids sleep inertia, making it easier to wake up.
Sometimes we may not be able to chose our preferred nap time and just go for the one we have time for, however there are certain things you can do to generally improve your sleep quality.