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How Napping Can be Good for Your Health
Good sleep is one of Dr. Mercola’s pillars of good health. Getting the right amount of sleep is one of the best things you can do for yourself. You’d be making a big mistake if you trivialize this aspect of your health.
Normally, it’s not good to be “caught napping” because it suggests lack of alertness, laziness or weakness. New studies suggest, however, that taking a nap can be very beneficial to your health and can help improve alertness, creativity, mood and productivity, and helps reduce stress and lower your risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and weight gain.
When is the Best Time to Take a Nap?
You don’t feel the need to nap in the afternoon because it’s too hot or because you had a heavy lunch. Your body is programmed to feel two periods of intense sleepiness: in the wee hours of the morning – about 2 to 4 AM – and in the afternoon – between 1 and 3 PM.
Knowing the best time for you to nap depends on when you go to sleep at night and how early you wake up. If you’re a “lark” and prefer to get up as early as 6 AM and hit the sack between 9 or 10 PM, you’re urge to nap will be at around 1 or 1:30 PM. On the other hand, if you’re an “owl” and get your zzzs after midnight and get up at around 8 or 9 AM, your nap need comes at around 2:30 or 3 PM.
What’s in a Nap and What You Get from Short and Long Naps
When you sleep, your brain’s electrical system undergoes five stages:
- Falling asleep
- Light sleep
- Deep, slow-wave sleep
- Deep, slow-wave sleep
- REM (rapid eye movement) sleep or dreaming stage
If you take a catnap of 20 minutes, you get mostly light sleep, which boosts your alertness and concentration, improves your mood and sharpens your motor skills.
A nap of up to 45 minutes may include REM sleep, which boosts creative thinking and sensory processing. That’s why it’s best to limit your naps to 45 minutes or less if you need to immediately get going after dozing off to avoid drifting to slow-wave sleep. Waking up during the third and fourth stages causes disorientation, grogginess and serious sleep inertia that can last for 30 minutes or more.
If you want to take a long nap, nap for at least 90 minutes. Napping between 90 to 120 minutes usually covers all five stages of sleep. Long naps in the morning give you more REM sleep while long afternoon naps give more slow-wave sleep, which helps clear your thoughts, improve memory recall and compensate for lost sleep.
How to Enjoy the Perfect Nap
If you’ve already determined how long and what time you’ll take a nap, here are some tips that will help you make the most out of your siesta:
- Find a comfortable, quiet and safe place to lie down (it takes about 50 percent longer for you to fall asleep if you’re seated upright).
- Use a light blanket if it’s chilly (a heavy one will give you more warmth and may cause you to oversleep).
- Darken the room as much as possible. If you have eyeshades, use them.
- Take deep, slow breaths to calm your body. Relax your muscles one group at a time.
- Use earplugs or white noise to block out unwanted sounds.
- Relax your mind by counting sheep, reciting a mantra or focusing on a peaceful scene.
- Set an alarm or ask someone to wake you up.
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Tags: Dr. Joseph Mercola, good sleep, napping, naps, REM sleep
