Is it nap time?

Some days when it feels like you’re not running on all cylinders, whether it’s a work day or a weekend full of errands, consider skipping the shot of caffeine to try to gain some energy and instead consider a power nap.

You might think you could never fall asleep in the daytime, or that taking an afternoon nap would throw a wrench into your schedule. You might even find yourself wondering: Do power naps work? Are power naps healthy? It may surprise you to know that almost anyone can benefit from a good power nap.

As many people have already learned, recharging with a power nap can help you achieve your goals of being successful, physically healthy and contribute to your overall sleep health. Research has shown that with some daytime shut-eye, you can make better decisions and be more productive, all while giving your brain a much-needed break.

Let’s look at the benefits of power naps, and simple tips for adding them to your daily routine.

What is a power nap?

The idea of laying down and sleeping during the day might seem foreign to some people. But studies have shown that short, controlled periods of sleep are not only rejuvenating for your body, they help your brain function better, too.

Let’s take a closer look at the concept. A power nap is a short window of sleep that happens during the day, ideally between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Taking a nap any later than that is not recommended because it might disrupt your regular nighttime sleep schedule.

Ideal power nap length

When it comes to power nap lengths, you’ll want to pick the duration that works best for you. Typically, most power naps last between 10 and 30 minutes. Many people think this timeframe is the sweet spot for an afternoon snooze, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed, alert, and giving you a quick boost of energy.

Yet some people find their bliss in mini power naps lasting just 6 minutes. Research has shown that the simple act of falling asleep – even if you wake up just minutes later—improves your brain’s memory processing center. Still others find that longer power naps work best for them, and they set aside an hour for an afternoon reboot.

These 60-minute naps drop you into deep, slow-wave sleep—the type that helps you remember places, names and faces better. However, your brain likely won’t cycle through a full sleep pattern in an hour, so you could wake up from a longer nap feeling a bit groggy. If you choose the 60-minute option for yourself, make sure to pencil in a little wake-up time so you can transition gently from nap to wakefulness.

Power nap benefits

We all know what it feels like to start off our day fresh, well-rested and alert. But by afternoon, we might feel like we’re dragging a little, and our brain might not be quite as sharp as it was a few hours before. A power nap can help restore that feeling of alertness by enhancing our cognitive abilities.

Napping can not only give our brain a boost by improving memory function and learning ability, it can also benefit our mood and increase our creativity and productivity. A NASA study involving its astronauts found that a power nap improved their overall performance by nearly 35 percent and their level of alertness by 100 percent.

Better mental alertness after a nap means people are less likely to make mistakes in their work and less likely to cause drowsy driving accidents on the road. But even more than that, power naps can land like a mini vacation in the middle of your day, giving your body a chance to relax and feel rejuvenated.

4 tips for successful power napping

Before starting off on your power-napping journey, there are a few things you should consider.

1. Ask yourself: Are you tired?
   Assess how you are really feeling right before you decide to nap. Are you really tired enough to fall asleep? If you know you’re not, skip the nap so you won’t spend 20 minutes staring at the ceiling.
2. Set an alarm
   Whether you’re napping in your office, your car or your living room couch, make sure you set an alarm for your desired nap time. This takes your mind off worrying about whether you will wake up on time and prevents your nap from turning into too long of a snooze that might mess with your regular sleep.
3. Eliminate distractions
   This might mean playing some relaxing music or white noise in the background, using earplugs or covering up with a warm blanket to help you sink into a cozy sleep.
4. Allow for adjustment
   It can take a little time to get back to full energy after you wake up from a power nap. Be kind to your body and give yourself at least 15 minutes to adjust.

Create the ideal power nap environment

Comfort is key when it comes to a successful power nap. Don’t try to save time by sleeping while sitting up in your chair at the office.

• Begin by finding a nice spot where you can lay down or at least recline. Maybe this is a couch or even just tilting back the seat in your car.
• Next, you’ll want to make your napping spot as dark as possible. Shut the curtains or blinds, pull down the shades, put on a sleep mask or even a pair of dark sunglasses to make your surroundings as dim as possible.
• Try to reduce the noise level. This can mean wearing noise-cancelling headphones, a set of earplugs, or using a white noise app on your phone that can make falling asleep easier.
• Make sure to keep your surroundings at a comfortable temperature. For some people, this means turning down the heat a few degrees before you nap, while others will reach for a sweater or blanket to make themselves a bit warmer as they doze off.

Tapping into the benefits of power napping can not only give you a mental boost and help you feel refreshed, but it can be one of the tools you use to keep yourself physically healthy and on a path to being successful when it comes to feeling your best.

Interested in more tips for getting enough sleep? Check out these four tips to help you fall asleep naturally each night.