How to take a daytime nap without ruining your nighttime sleep quality
It’s time to stop nap shaming. While a nap can affect your sleep at night if you’re not mindful, there’s a way to get the best of both worlds: great daytime naps And healthy sleep through the night. The next time you recharge with an afternoon nap, remember these six daily strategies for doing it right.
For additional tips to get the best quality sleep, click here seven natural sleep aids for insomnia and how create the perfect environment for better rest.
Tips: How to take a nap without ruining your sleep
Breathe a collective sigh of relief: You can rejoice in the fact that it’s possible to take an afternoon nap without feeling like you’ve ruined your sleep cycle for the next five days.
While some people – as mentioned above – should avoid naps in general, with the right strategy, most people can enjoy an afternoon nap and still get a good night’s sleep when the world goes dark. Here are six do’s and don’ts to keep in mind before your next nap.
1. Try to take a nap in the early afternoon
The sooner you can take a nap (once you start feeling sleepy), the better. Like long naps, naps too late in the day can disrupt your sleep and keep you awake at night. Although everyone’s circadian rhythm is unique, most people are experience a dip in alertness around 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM If you can get to a restful area within this time frame, that’s your best bet for a good nap that won’t disrupt nighttime sleep.
The room you take a nap in should have minimal light. This is difficult to achieve during the day without blackout curtains, so definitely invest in one if you take a lot of naps.
2. Set the scene
If you’re going to take a nap, you might as well optimize it. Your sleep environment should be as restful as your sleep environment. Ideally, you should take a nap in the same place where you sleep. Napping in a soothing environment — with little to no light, a comfortable temperature, and a pillow that suits your sleep style — can help you fall asleep faster and reap the full benefits of a short nap.
3. Take a guilt-free nap
Naps should make you feel better, not worse. Don’t let napping make you work late or do more; you didn’t need that extra rest for nothing. Saying things like, “If I take a nap now, I’ll have to stay up later [insert task],” can further disrupt your sleep cycle and cause you to develop a shameful mindset around napping, as if it’s something you should never do. So take a guilt-free nap, 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… building naps into their collective daily routinewhich should be proof enough that naps are good for you.
4. Keep naps short
More is not better when it comes to naps. The Mayo Clinic advises people to do so nap only 10 to 20 minutes. That may seem ridiculously short – pointless even – but research shows that naps of this length improve alertness without the dizzy feeling after a nap that most people are familiar with. Naps as short as 30 minutes can lead to…sleep inertia“a period of reduced performance immediately after napping.
Napping for an hour or more can seriously disrupt your circadian rhythm. Dr. Ramiz Fargo, medical director of the Loma Linda University Sleep Disorders Centersays waking up from longer naps can leave you feeling dizzy and cranky because it requires waking up from a deeper sleep. This can negate the benefits (read: alertness) you were hoping to gain from a nap.
5. Don’t combine your nap with screen time
The whole point of a nap is to make you feel better, not worse. Combining your nap with screen time can make the nap less effective psychosocial effects of screen time (especially social media use) can destroy the rest you gained from your nap.
If you work in a profession that requires computer use, 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 away your phone and do something to prolong the relaxation: meditate for five minutes, stretch your arms and legs, take a short walk or eat a healthy snack. Then get back to work or whatever task is calling your name.
6. Don’t replace your nap with caffeine
Everyone is busy, and burnout is at an all-time high, but stress and worries about work and life keep us all driving 100 miles per hour. It’s often tempting to spend the afternoon with an extra cup of coffee, thinking you’ll cross more things off your to-do list, but a power nap is better for your body.
Consuming caffeine in the afternoon is linked to nighttime wakefulness, even if you drink in the afternoon coffee six hours earlier go to bed. Drinking espresso three hours before bedtime slows down the production of melatonin (the hormone that makes you sleepy). almost an hour.
However, a short nap can reduce drowsiness, improve focus And increase productivity without the dreaded caffeine crash.
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Why 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 you circadian rhythmthe biological clock in your body that regulates your sleep cycle. It is caused by fluctuations in hormones and neurotransmitters, especially cortisol and adenosine.
Cortisol makes you feel awake and alert. Cortisol levels in the body are generally higher when you first wake up and decrease steadily throughout the day. However, your body produces more cortisol in response to certain stimuli, such as exercise. That’s why an afternoon workout can make you feel more awake.
AdenosineOn the other hand, it makes you feel sleepy, and your body secretes more of it as the day goes on. (Fun fact: caffeine blocks adenosine receptors on your cellsThat’s why it works to keep you alert.)
In addition to your natural body clock, sleep quality, diet, caffeine consumption, room temperature, screen time and exercise habits also influence afternoon fatigue. Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and insomnia, also contribute to daytime sleepiness.
Who shouldn’t take a nap?
Dr. Fargo told CNET that most people can take naps and still enjoy a healthy sleep cycle, but people who struggle with insomnia should avoid napping.
For those who already suffer from nighttime wakefulness, napping can worsen the problem and lead to sleep damage in a number of ways, including:
If you have not been diagnosed with a sleep disorder and you generally have no trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, you can most likely take a nap without any problems.
