{"id":44979,"date":"2015-10-30T07:15:41","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T11:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=44979"},"modified":"2021-09-01T10:20:01","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T14:20:01","slug":"nap-better-sleep-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/nap-better-sleep-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS Is the Exact Time You Should Take a Nap"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nap
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although being an adult is generally cooler than being a toddler, it falls short in at least one major way: Why<\/em> is nap time no longer a thing? \u201cIf you\u2019re getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, naps can be part of a healthy sleep schedule,\u201d says Rebecca Robbins, PhD, a fellow at the NYU School of Medicine and co-author of Sleep for Success!<\/em> Plus, it\u2019s not like anyone\u2019s arguing: The people want<\/em> to nap. According to research commissioned by\u00a0Casper<\/a>, a buzzy mattress delivery startup, 66 percent of over 10,000 people surveyed would take a quick snooze more frequently if their offices had designated napping areas. (Maybe something like this Tranquility Pod<\/a>?)<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 5 Most Common Sleep Issues (and How to Find Relief)<\/a><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not like everyone has been on the snooze train. \u201cAt one time we thought naps were bad for sleep and bad for us,\u201d says Natalie Dautovich, PhD, National Sleep Foundation<\/a>\u2019s Environmental Scholar and assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. \u201cI think we\u2019re starting to understand [napping is] a much more complex phenomenon.\u201d Even better, experts are beginning to think a midday nap could be the key to triumphing over the dreaded afternoon energy crash.<\/p>\n

The Ideal Amount of Nap Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you sleep for 20 minutes or less, you\u2019re taking a garden-variety power nap, which can improve your short-term alertness and performance, says Dr. Dautovich. And that\u2019s the key to a quality power nap: Keep it under 20 minutes and you\u2019ll emerge refreshed. But any longer and your body enters a deeper slumber that\u2019s harder to wake up from, like your rapid eye movement, or REM, cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour REM cycle is strongly connected to cognitive functions like creativity, memory and coming up with solutions to problems,\u201d says Dr. Robbins. \u201cWe believe that since [REM sleep is] so restorative, disrupting that cycle [by waking up in the midst of it] can throw you off.\u201d There\u2019s also the chance that you could wake up in a deep stage of sleep that experts call non-REM sleep stage 3. \u201cIt\u2019s more difficult to awaken from [this stage] of sleep than [others],\u201d says Dr. Dautovich. \u201cWhenever you wake up from a deeper stage of sleep, you can experience sleep inertia, which is a feeling of disorientation.\u201d So basically, keep things short.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The Hidden Ways Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Weight Gain<\/a><\/p>\n

Twenty minutes or less is the rule, unless you\u2019re really dragging, in which case you should get about 90 minutes of shut-eye. \u201cThis kind of nap is [best] for someone who had a bout of shortened sleep the night before,\u201d says Dr. Robbins, and will help you feel like you\u2019re mentally, physically and energetically restored on a deeper level.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t get consistent, good quality sleep at night, says Dr. Robbins, you should be skipping the napping altogether. When you\u2019re regularly not getting rest or have insomnia<\/a> issues, sleeping during the day can throw your circadian rhythm \u2014 your natural sleep and wake cycle \u2014 even further out of whack.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>9 Ways to Finally Get a Good Night\u2019s Sleep<\/a><\/p>\n

How to Pimp Out Your Nap<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The best time to do it:<\/strong> \u201cMost people experience a dip in energy and alertness in the early to mid-afternoon,\u201d says Dr. Dautovich. Experts aren\u2019t sure exactly why this occurs, although they think it may be built into the natural ebb and flow of your circadian rhythm. Having just eaten a meal can definitely exacerbate that sleepiness, says Dr. Robbins. That\u2019s why experts think of 2:00-4:00 p.m. as the prime nap time window. \u201cIt\u2019s the ideal time to engage in a nap because you\u2019re sleepy, but still far enough away from bedtime that you\u2019ll have the drive to sleep at night,\u201d says Dr. Dautovich. Just like that, you\u2019ll kick post-lunch fatigue to the curb.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many executives have shown me their sleeping bags under their desks.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Setting the scene: <\/strong>Start by silencing anything that emits a chirp, beep, buzz or other disrupting noise. \u201cAfter you set your phone alarm, put it in airplane mode,\u201d advises Dr. Robbins. \u201cEven if it\u2019s just a short nap, it\u2019s important to take that extra precaution of getting out of a busy environment.\u201d Keep things dark, too. Dim your computer screen if necessary, and close your curtains or come prepared with an eye mask.<\/p>\n

Cool it off: <\/strong>If you can control the temperature, set it between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts say this range is most useful in promoting sleep because it hits the spot of being neither too cold nor too hot. While you may normally keep temperatures in the 70s or 80s during the day, turning down the thermostat mimics the way your body naturally cools when you sleep, so you\u2019re more comfortable when nodding off. \u201cWarm temperatures are associated with more tossing and turning,\u201d says Dr. Robbins. \u201cWe see 65 as the ideal temperature for sleep.\u201d Use that as your guide, or experiment in the 60 to 68 degree range to figure out what\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>9 Crazy-Cool Gadgets to Get a Better Night\u2019s Sleep<\/a><\/p>\n

Making Your Nap Work\u2026at Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re trying to figure out how to squeeze a nap in at work, you\u2019re part of a growing trend. Bloomberg<\/a> <\/em>staffer Rebecca Greenfield recently tried it out and came to one main conclusion: It\u2019s hard to nap at work if your office doesn\u2019t get why it\u2019s important. \u201cIf companies really want employees to get the benefits of naps, the culture needs to support sleeping on the clock,\u201d she says. So if you have a nap-friendly employer, take a midday snooze next time you\u2019re feeling less than 100 percent.<\/p>\n

What to do if you don\u2019t work at one of those forward-thinking offices with a nap room? \u201cIf you\u2019re lucky enough to have an office, shut the door and just don\u2019t tell anyone you\u2019re napping!\u201d says Dr. Robbins. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many executives have shown me their sleeping bags under their desks.\u201d No door? Think about your how badly you really need a nap \u2014 and don\u2019t be afraid to get creative. Is it feasible to grab some shut-eye in your car? Is there a conference room no one ever uses where you won\u2019t be discovered? Would your friend let you stake out her office for a nap while she’s in a meeting? You may just dream up a cool idea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Need a nap? Probably. Find out when, how and where to take the perfect nap so you can still sleep soundly at night \u2014 and yes, even if it means your head is on your desk. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[280,341,360],"class_list":["post-44979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-sleep","tag-sleep","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2stress-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}