Naps are a bit of a gamble. While some are exactly what you need, making you feel refreshed and giving you the necessary energy, others end up making you feel worse and much more exhausted than before. Here are 4 tips to get the best out of naps.
While prioritizing naps is a luxury that many cannot afford, it’s something worth pursuing on occasion — when you have the time for them.
Know that there are different kinds of naps
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The National Sleep Foundation says that there are three kinds of naps, each with their own patterns and effects. Planned napping, Emergency napping and Habitual napping. The first is when people sleep before they get tired, the second is when they nap because they’re exhausted and they have to, and the third is when they make a habit out of daily naps. Find the option that works best for you.
Use a timer
People tend to think that the more they sleep the better, but studies show that even a 10 minute nap can make people feel rested and prepared for the rest of their day. In fact, sleeping for more than 30 minutes has been linked with disruptions in nightly sleeping patterns, which can alter your nights and productivity. Set an alarm for your naps, keeping them for under an hour, especially if you’re napping habitually and are not catching up on missed sleep.
Don’t laze around before or after
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This tends to happen on lazy weekends, when you spend all day in bed or lounging in the couch and end up sleeping on and off. These sessions tend to result in blurry days where the hours fly by and you end up feeling exhausted, having trouble sleeping later that night. Days like these disrupt your circadian rhythms. Naps work best when they’re planned, with some activity and movement before and after.
Develop a schedule
Going to sleep at the same time every night provides plenty of positive results, helping you maintain a schedule and develop better sleeping habits. It’s the same with naps. According to Men’s Health, “The brain prefers to anticipate something, not react to it. A nap is no different, which is why a scheduled nap always works better over the long haul when compared to a random nap.” This schedule shouldn’t force you to nap everyday, instead, it should help you nap more easily and feel more rested. Hope you can use the tips to make the most out of naps.
