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Have you ever been to Spain? If your answer is yes, then you must know that it’s very common in Spanish culture for people to nap during the day. Most of the shops and offices close at noon for a period of time, which shows how seriously they take napping.
People vary in their approach to napping, some finding naps helpful and restorative while others wake up foggy and a bit confused. What about you? How do you experience naps? Whether you’re for or against napping, this page may offer you a different perspective to think about.
A power nap is often taken during the day in order to restore and revitalize oneself through a brief or short period of sleep. It can be a very efficient way to recharge our brains in a short amount of time.
Do you ever get tired and sleepy in the afternoon, after lunch for example? The day isn’t over yet. You have maybe half an hour of free time and you need that boost of energy to continue on with your day. Some choose a cup of coffee or a couple minutes of fresh air outside to wake up to themselves. Or, you can try a 20 minute power nap, which experts say can be a very efficient way to recharge and get back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
It might be worthwhile to discuss sleep cycles, which consist of four sleep stages. In the first 30 minutes of sleep, we enter Stage 1 and then Stage 2, also known as NREM sleep, where our brain and body prepare themselves for deeper REM sleep, where the actual memory consolidation and restoration happens. It’s often easier to wake up and feel alert and restful during NREM stages. However, if you wake someone up in the middle of the deep stages of REM sleep, they’ll likely be confused and look at you like you’re from some other universe. NREM, or light sleeping, can also occur when you’re taking a power nap, so it’s important to keep your nap short enough to avoid going into the deeper stages of REM sleep.
According to research, the most beneficial nap length is around 10-20 minutes. Napping less than 10 minutes is basically not enough to see the benefits, while napping longer than 20 minutes is associated with decreased alertness and performance. Long nap duration is also linked to adverse health outcomes such as diabetes and cognitive impairment. And if you nap longer, it will likely be harder for you to fall asleep at night.
You may be thinking that napping during the day will prevent you from falling asleep at night, and in some cases where the nap goes on too long, that may be true. However, a study found that power napping around 20 to 30 minutes does not have an effect on nighttime sleep quality and duration. In fact, there’s no difference in sleep quality between healthy individuals who don’t nap and those who take 20 minute naps.
Scientific evidence suggests that people get sleepy in the afternoon. When do you feel the sleepiest during the day? Most people take their naps in the early afternoon after lunch. One study found that naps earlier in the day were more effective in terms of reducing sleepiness and increasing performance and less likely to disrupt nighttime sleep routines. Napping later in the day, on the other hand, can disrupt your sleeping schedule. Needless to say, it depends on your schedule. You can find a half hour slot around the early afternoon when you get sleepier and jump into a quick power nap to get your energy back.
After tons of scientific research, the benefits of a quick and easy power nap are non-negotiable. Even companies like Google and Facebook consider napping as a significant factor in overall employee well-being, with napping rooms in their offices in which their employees are allowed and encouraged to take breaks.
Research shows that a short daytime nap, where the brain enters stage 2 (one of the first NREM sleep stages), can enhance learning-related brain activity. A 20 minute power nap can contribute to improved memory, memory consolidation, and spatial learning.
Here are other possible benefits of napping that are also scientifically supported:
Aside from its several benefits, some adverse effects can occur among those who prefer to nap. Things like diabetes, hypertension, and cognitive decline can present themselves, especially in older adult populations. Scientists who are interested in sleep often agree that these adverse effects are mediated by other factors like being prone to inflammation, which can increase the possibility experiencing negative health effects related to napping. However, we need to be careful when reviewing these findings. They don't mean that napping causes health problems. Instead, those problems can be associated with napping.
A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that in the US, more than 30% of adults have reported that they take naps during the day. Findings also showed that participants who have trouble sleeping tend to take naps more than those who don’t. Although results point to a correlation between poor sleep quality and napping, yet again it does not state a causal link between napping and sleep problems.
What the results say is that your increased need to nap may be a sign of your sleep quality getting worse. So, it might be a good idea to take stock of your quality of sleep for a while to see if you have any problems that have recently emerged or are recurring.
If you suffer from insomnia, napping can help you get some sleep during the day because you’ll likely be sleepy after a sleepless night. However, that might cause you to enter a vicious cycle where you cannot sleep at night and nap during the day instead. It’s best for you to work with a professional to improve your sleep quality and obtain an uninterrupted, restful nighttime sleep.
You might also be napping as a way to escape or avoid navigating difficult problems or emotions. If left ignored, these problems may have longer term effects on your day to day. It’s okay if you’re not ready to face them yet. If you turn toward the peaceful arms of sleep for a while to relax and recharge in order to cope with those challenging problems or emotions, that’s okay. Just be sure to check in with yourself and be mindful about the reasons why you choose to nap.
Power naps simply may not be the right choice for you. Your workday schedule may not be allowing midday sleep. You may need the privacy, comfort and familiarity of your bedroom to sleep. That is perfectly okay if you are not fond of napping, too. There are other ways to revitalize if you feel sleepy during the day, such as coffee, fresh air, moving your body or washing your face with cold water.
We don’t sleep like a baby every night. Having a good night’s sleep can feel like a luxury if you’re a new parent, if you’re studying for an important exam, or if you need to prepare an assignment or a presentation for the next morning. Occasionally, we sacrifice our sleep time in order to invest in something else, accepting the fact that we’ll be sleep-deprived the next day.
And we can get by on that method for a while, but there always comes a time when we need to recover and replenish our energy in order to get back to our lives. Sleep deprivation can be dangerous for our health in the long run and we can be a danger to others if, for example, we’re sleep-deprived in traffic or if we work a job that relies on our alertness and sharp focus. Especially in those cases, it can be necessary to pull over and take a quick power nap.
