Aren’t naps a wonderful thing? Sometimes you just need a quick charge to re-boot the afternoon. And that’s when a power nap comes in handy! According to the National Sleep Foundation, a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance.
3 TYPES OF NAPPING
- Planned napping – taking a nap before you actually get sleepy. You may use this technique when you know that you will be up later than your normal bed time or as a mechanism to ward off getting tired earlier
- Emergency napping – when you are suddenly very tired and cannot continue with the activity you were originally doing. Used to combat drowsiness/ fatigue
- Habitual napping – when a person takes a nap at the same time each day. Like young children fall asleep at about the same time each afternoon, an adult might take a short nap after lunch each day
TIPS:
- A short, 20-30 minute nap is recommended for short-term alertness
- Make sure you have a comfortable and restful place to lie down as your sleep environment can greatly impact your ability to nap (take into account noise, temperature and light)
- Try to plan your naps not too early in the day and not too late in the day, affecting your bed time
