Are you constantly yawning, do your eyelids feel heavy and have trouble concentrating on your current tasks? You may need faire a siesta. Whether it is to compensate for a bad night or after a hearty lunchthere are many reasons why you might need to rest during the day. In fact, naps are not just for to infants and toddlerseven adults can benefit from it.
The nap can have many health benefitswith notably positive effects on alertness, memory, concentration, but also stress, reactivity, or even the cardiovascular system, recalls the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance. Nevertheless, Sleeping too long can also disrupt sleep patternsand cause a groggy feeling upon waking. So, is it a good idea to take regular naps as an adult, and what is the optimal length for proper recovery? To shed some light, Natalie Dautovich, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, deciphered the situation with the site of the University the potential benefits of napping and its ideal duration.
What time of day should you take a nap?
It’s often difficult to find the perfect time to take a nap, especially if you work during the day. But What time of day is best to fall asleep? a few moments? According to the expert, it is better to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon because this is a time when there is a natural circadian dip in alertness and there is enough time to develop the urge to sleep again before evening.
To ensure that napping can truly provide you with health benefits, Natalie Dautovich advises trying to make it a habit, so that it can effectively recharge your batteries. She therefore recommends “start with a short nap of 20 minutes or less, several days a week, to assess whether napping improves mood or functioning or interferes with nighttime sleep, and to give the body time to develop a nap routine“. She adds that to protect nighttime sleep, it is recommended to avoid naps at the end of the day or that are too long.
Nap: what is the ideal duration?
More What is the optimal length of a nap? to rest without affecting your sleep rhythm? According to the expert, The ideal length of a nap is less than 20 minutes“in the afternoon can help you recharge“. She adds that”a longer napbetween 60 and 90 minutes, can provide more restful sleep”, however, it may interfere with nighttime sleep. But both options are still preferable to naps of 20 to 60 minutes, which could lead to “sleep inertia, which manifests as feeling groggy or being in a bad mood”.
To optimize your naps, it is therefore better that they are less than 20 minutes or between 60 and 90 minutes according to Natalie Dautovich. Indeed, she explains that “With an average length nap, you are more likely to wake up during one of your deep sleep stagesbut that by taking longer or shorter naps, you are more likely to not have entered a deep sleep or to have come out of a deep sleep”.
Sleep: Can you nap too much?
While it is not recommended to take naps of average length, which can promote sleep inertia, it is also recommended to don’t sleep too long the day. In fact, the risk is to disturb the desire to sleep when going to bed, with difficulty falling asleep or less deep sleep.
Furthermore, the expert added that too much “Daytime sleepiness is symptomatic of many health problems, and naps accompanied byexcessive daytime sleepiness may be a sign of an underlying health problem“. If you feel the need to sleep a large part of the day without being rested, it is therefore recommended to consult your doctor, to check that this is not a sign of health problems.
Sources :
- Is napping good for you? If you do it the right way, VCU researcher says. – VCUNews – 26 juin 2024
- Naps, an ally of your alertness – National Institute of Sleep and Alertness
