How to Nap Like a Champion Without Disrupting Your Sleep
It’s time to stop the nap-shaming. While naps can absolutely ruin your sleep if you’re not careful, there is a way to get the best of both worlds — great daytime naps And still sleep well at night. That’s where we come in. Follow these six tips and tricks to prevent that oh-so-awful delay in your nighttime routine.
For additional tips on getting the best quality sleep, here are: seven natural sleep aids for insomnia and how create the perfect environment for a better night’s sleep.
Tips: How to Take a Nap Without Disturbing Your Sleep
Everyone breathe a sigh of relief: you can be happy that you can now enjoy an afternoon nap without feeling like you’ve disrupted your sleep cycle for the next five days.
While some people — as noted above — should avoid naps altogether, with the right strategy, most people can enjoy an afternoon snooze and still get a good night’s sleep when the world goes dark. Here are seven dos and don’ts to keep in mind before your next nap.
1. Try taking a nap in the early afternoon
The sooner you can take a nap (as soon as you start to feel sleepy), the better. Like long naps, late naps can disrupt your sleep cycle and keep you awake at night. While everyone’s circadian rhythm is unique, most people have experience a dip in alertness around 1:00 to 3:00 PM If you can find a quiet place within this time, it is best to take a nap that will not disturb your sleep.
The room where you nap should have minimal light. This is difficult to achieve during the day without blackout curtains, so definitely invest in them if you nap a lot.
2. Set the scene
If you’re going to take a nap, you might as well optimize it. Your nap environment should be just as restful as your sleep environment. Ideally, you should nap in the same place you sleep. Napping in a restful environment — with little to no light, a comfortable temperature, and a pillow that suits your sleep style — can help you fall asleep faster and maximize the benefits of a quick power nap.
3. Take a nap without feeling guilty
Naps should make you feel better, not worse. Don’t let your nap make you feel guilty and push you to work longer hours or get more done — you needed the extra rest for a reason. Saying things like, “If I take a nap now, I’ll have to stay up later to [insert task]can further disrupt your sleep cycle and cause you to develop a sense of shame around napping, as if it’s something you should never do. So nap guilt-free, as long as you’re still meeting your most important obligations.
And if you’re still feeling guilty about your afternoon nap, remember that some cultures literally incorporating naps into their daily routine togetherwhich should be enough proof that naps are good for you.
4. Keep naps short
More is not better when it comes to naps. Mayo Clinic advises people to take a nap of just 10 to 20 minutesThat may seem ridiculously short, even pointless, but research shows that naps of this length improve alertness without the nap-fatigued feeling most people are familiar with. Naps as short as 30 minutes can “sleep inertiaa period of reduced performance immediately following the nap.
Napping for an hour or more can seriously disrupt your circadian rhythm. Plus, Fargo says, waking up from longer naps can leave you feeling groggy and cranky, since you have to wake up from a deeper sleep. This can negate the benefits (read: alertness) you were hoping to get from a nap.
5. Don’t let your nap coincide with screen time
The whole point of a nap is to make you feel better, not worse. Squeezing your nap in between screen time can make the nap less effective because the psychosocial effects of screen time (particularly the use of social media) can destroy the peace you found during your nap.
If you work in a job that requires you to use a computer, it may not be possible to avoid screen time before your nap. But that’s all the more reason to avoid screens for a few moments after your nap. Put your phone away and do something to prolong your relaxation: meditate for five minutes, stretch your arms and legs, take a short walk, or eat a healthy snack. Then go back to work or whatever task you’re doing.
6. Don’t replace your nap with caffeine
Everyone is busy, and burnout is at an all-time high — but stress and anxiety about work and life keep us all going 100 mph. It’s often tempting to power through your afternoon with an extra cup of coffee, thinking you’ll be able to check more items off your to-do list, but your body is better off with a power nap.
Caffeine consumption in the afternoon has been linked to nighttime wakefulness, even if you drink your afternoon coffee six hours before bedAnd drinking espresso three hours before bed slows down the production of melatonin (the hormone that makes you sleepy) by almost an hour.
However, a short nap can reduce sleepiness, improve focus And increase productivity without the dreaded caffeine crash.
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View all photosWhy We Feel Sleepy in the Afternoon
The natural dip in energy and focus you feel after lunch is known as the ‘afternoon slump’. This is part of your circadian rhythmthe biological clock in your body that regulates your sleep cycle. It is caused by fluctuations in hormones and neurotransmitters, particularly cortisol and adenosine.
Cortisol makes you feel awake and alert. Cortisol levels in the body are generally higher when you first wake up and steadily decrease throughout the day. However, your body produces more cortisol in response to certain stimuli, such as exercise, which is why a midday workout can make you feel more awake.
Adenosineon the other hand, makes you feel sleepy and your body secretes more of it as the day goes on. (Fun fact: Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors on your cells(Therefore it keeps you alert.)
In addition to your natural body clock, things like the quality of your sleep, diet, caffeine consumption, room temperature, screen time, and exercise habits all affect afternoon fatigue. Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and insomnia, also contribute to daytime sleepiness.
Who is not allowed to take a nap?
Dr. Ramiz Fargo, Medical Director of the Loma Linda University Sleep Disorders Centertold CNET that most people can take a nap and still have a healthy sleep cycle, but people who suffer from insomnia should avoid napping.
For people who already suffer from nighttime waking, napping can make the problem worse and lead to sleep loss in several ways, including:
If you have not been diagnosed with a sleep disorder and you generally have no trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you can probably take a nap without any problems.
