IT’S 3pm and you’re flagging. You feel so heavy that your eyelids feel heavier as you try to focus on your work.
It’s impossible to stay awake, however. A quick nap could help you get back on track.
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You thought naps were bad? You might be wrong!
You can get energy and productivity from a nap, but it doesn’t need to disturb your sleep at night.
Dr. Tim Bond, a chemist and natural-health expert at Dragonfly CBD. He says there’s a lot of debate about the value or otherwise of napping.
“In my view, in young, healthy people a nap is no bad thing, especially if it’s done correctly.
“As long as you don’t do it as a substitute for a good night’s sleep, it can help your mental and physical wellbeing.”
Here’s how to nail your nap…
A nap is good for you
Apart from giving your tired mind and body a quick hit of relief, Dr Bond says: “A short nap will improve your focus, alertness, concentration, mood, productivity and creativity.
“A nap can improve activity in the brain’s right hemisphere, the area of the brain that governs creativity and insight.”
He also said that naps can help embed new information in the brain, improve memory recall, and so on.
Plus, if you’re hoping to swot up on your French, a quick snooze could help.
“A nap has been shown to consolidate learning, including language learning, which appears to be linked with restoration of hippocampal activity in the brain.
“In people who have a nap, concentration is as high as it is in the morning, while people who don’t nap experience a decline.
“A nap can also boost mood, reduce stress and strengthen the immune system in people who are sleep deprived.”
Nap for 20 to 90 minutes
There’s a fine line when it comes to napping.
“A nap of less than 20 minutes will wake you before you enter deep slow wave sleep, will avoid post sleep grogginess and mental sluggishness and should energise you and keep you alert for the next few hours,”Dr Bond explained.
He explained that a 90 minute nap will give you a complete cycle of light to deep and rapid eye movement (REM), sleep and then back to light.
“This will also energise you for the rest of the day.
“However, most of us don’t have the time for a 90 minute day time sleep and if you sleep that much during the day, it can be a sign that you are sleep deprived at night.
“Napping is detrimental if it interferes with nightly sleep and/or it interferes with your ability to stick to a consistent night time sleep routine.”
It’s important to time it correctly
“The best time to nap is around seven hours (or about six to eight hours) after you wake for the day,”Dr Bond.
“This is because this is the time when the ideal balance of REM sleep and slow wave sleep can more likely be achieved.”
A good time to take a nap is important for both mental and physical recovery. It can also reduce post-nap grogginess.
Beat the post-nap grogginess
Perhaps you wake up feeling worse after a nap. However, there are some things you can do to help. ‘caffeine nap’ can help.
“The best way to take a ‘caffeine’ nap is to have a tea or coffee just before falling asleep for 15 to 20 minutes as its effects on alertness take a little time to kick in,”Dr Bond.
According to him, a nap in which tea or coffee was consumed before bed could boost energy levels more than just a cup of caffeine.
“Some research shows that caffeine boosts energy levels because of its effect on adenosine, a chemical that promotes sleep.
“When you feel tired, adenosine levels in your blood increase and when you fall asleep adenosine levels fall.
“Caffeine competes with adenosine for cell receptors in the brain and prevents adenosine from reaching the brain.
“Also as you fall asleep for your nap, adenosine levels fall anyway and caffeine then has less competition for cell receptors in the brain.
“So a short nap may enhance the effects of caffeine by increasing the availability of caffeine receptors in the brain.”
Do you ever get enough sleep?
The short answer is yes.
“There is a ‘nap paradox’ in that if naps are poorly timed or you sleep excessively during the day, a nap can have negative outcomes,”Dr Bond.
“Excessive napping can interfere with night time sleep leading to insomnia, and it can disrupt healthy circadian rhythms, which are crucial to sleep and waking,”He continues.
Also, too much sleep can affect your mood.
“Naps can be powerful tools for athletes, improving performance, speed, strength and reaction time but excessive daytime sleeping can prejudice physical performance.”
He added: “Excessive napping has been linked to negative health outcomes particularly in older people and this may be linked to increased inflammation and reduced immune function, both of which may be a feature of excessive napping in this population, but they may also be present with or without napping.”
If our sleep is sufficient, do we still need to take a break?
“Naps are most beneficial in people who have a good night’s sleep,”Dr Bond.
“If you don’t sleep well at night, a daytime nap is not going to make up for it.
“But it is important to ask yourself why you want a nap.
“If you spend a lot of the day feeling sleepy this may be due to insomnia at night and it can also be driven by stress,”He continues.
Dr Bond does warn it’s important to still prioritise a good night’s sleep.
“Be sure to have a good bedtime routine; avoiding screens, caffeine and excessive alcohol a couple of hours before bed.”