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Nap types -

There are many different forms of naps, including the recovery nap, the prophylactic nap (in preparation for losing sleep), and the appetitive nap, which is taken for pure pleasure.

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Timing is everything -

The length of time that we nap for has massive implications for how it will affect us because we move through different cycles in our sleep.

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It's a fine art -

Sleeping for five minutes is not enough, and sleeping for around 30 minutes allows our body to enter deep sleep, which can leave us feeling groggy for an hour after waking.

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Recovery -

With this in mind, the best amount of time to nap for recovery is from around 10-20 minutes. It's enough to feel a little bit refreshed and rested, but not enough to experience sleep inertia when we wake.

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Napping for creativity -

There is a reason that we have our best ideas when we wake up. Napping for 90 minutes means that we enter REM, which is associated with imagery and making new connections.

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The elderly benefit hugely -

Napping is particularly good for older people. Their health and nighttime sleep can improve from napping for 30 minutes between 1 pm and 3 pm in the day.

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Children need a lot of sleep -

Children require a lot of sleep. Their bodies are growing, and so are their brains. They are taking in and learning a lot of information every day. But what does science say about it?

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Infants -

It’s entirely normal for infants to nap from one to four times in the day, and these naps can last from anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. In short, they spend the majority of the time sleeping.

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Toddlers -

Three-year-olds need 10-13 hours of sleep a night. If they don’t get this at night, it’s crucial to catch up with naps during the day.

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NASA's findings -

Back to the adults, a NASA study found that taking a 40-minute nap improved performance by 40% and alertness by 100%.

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Nap smart, nap early -

There are other factors to take into account too. For example, adults shouldn’t sleep right before they need to be alert, or in the evening, because it interferes with their sleep schedule.

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Napping for improved emotional regulation -

When a child is moody, we send them for a nap. Napping has the same benefit for adults. Emotional regulation is essential in life, probably more important than people realize.

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It's great for memory -

Napping also helps us with learning and in forming new memories.

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Napping for new connections -

Napping helps with managing to make connections in the brain with information that is taken in. This is related to the synapsis in the brain.

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Caffeine stimulates, napping regenerates -

Napping is better than coffee for making you more alert because caffeine makes you feel awake, but it doesn’t help the brain to function more efficiently.

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Naps save lives -

Alertness can be everything for work. For example, it’s a matter of life or death for drivers, which is why so many national governments run advertising campaigns to warn people about the dangers of driving tired or driving for too long without a break.

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It's personal -

Napping can be for everyone, but it is about working things out on an individual basis. Some people, for example, will feel like the sleep inertia upon waking outweighs the benefits.

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Health -

However difficult it may be to wake up after a nap, it is still beneficial for your health, says Dr. Sujay Kansagra, a sleep health expert and associate professor at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina.

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Reduced risk of cardiovascular bleed -

Christopher Lindholst, CEO of MetroNaps, reported that: “If you take a nap regularly three times a week, you reduce your risk of cardiovascular bleed by almost 37%.”

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Napping for work -

Many large companies have taken note of how it can benefit employees to nap (and therefore the company too), so they help them do so. For example, Google has sleep pods in some of their office spaces.

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It takes practice -

Getting used to napping takes time. People have to learn to nap efficiently to not fall asleep for hours at a time, for example.

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The body adapts -

Eventually, the body gets used to it and will be able to relax and learn to do it efficiently, and waking up afterward becomes easier.

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Insomnia sufferers shouldn't nap -

Dr. Kansagra says that people with insomnia should avoid napping.

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Winston Churchill, an avid napper -

When it’s done efficiently, the body will wake up by itself automatically. It will improve your health, and you will be more efficient at work. Some famous productive nappers include Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, and Salvador Dalí.

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It's not a substitute for a healthy night of sleep -

Napping has plenty of benefits, but it is not to be understood as a possible substitute for healthy sleep at night, says Dr. Anil Rama, medical director and founder of Kaiser Permanente’s tertiary sleep medicine laboratory.

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Quality of sleep -

As adults, we should get seven hours of sleep every night, which most adults don’t get. Rama says what is even more relevant is whether sleep is healthy.

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Sleep apnea -

For example, someone with sleep apnea may sleep for seven hours a night but never actually enter REM sleep.

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Daytime tiredness -

If you’re tired, a nap is good for you and your health. You shouldn’t be exhausted in the daytime consistently, or ignore why you’re tired in the first place. 

Sources: (Healthline) (Sleep Foundation) (Forbes) (WebMD)

See also: Understanding and dealing with sleep disruption during the pandemic

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