Are naps good for you?
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One of the questions we get a lot is ‘Are naps good for you?’
The short answer? Yes. Provided you do it right.
Have you ever woken up from a nap and felt worse than you did before your nap? This is called nap inertia. The reason this happens isn’t because naps are bad per se. This is because you’re napping for the inappropriate amount of time. It all comes back to sleep cycles, which we discussed a few months ago. But just in case you missed it, here is a recap.
Throughout the night, you alternate between non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is when our eyes dart back and forth, new connections are made in the brain, and memories are solidified. This is also when we dream. NREM sleep is when our heart rate and breathing rate slows, and when our tissues are repaired. NREM sleep is then further divided into stages 1, 2, 3, and 4. Stages 1 and 2 are considered light sleep, and stages 3 and 4 are deep sleep. As these various sleep stages all have different functions, they are all important for health and recovery. During one sleep cycle, you go through REM, stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, then back through stages 3, 2, 1, and REM again. One sleep cycle is approximately 90 minutes long and adults should get approximately 5 cycles (7.5 hours) of sleep each night for optimal health.
The key to a healthy nap is to make sure you’re not waking up during a deeper stage of sleep. If you wake up in stage 3 or 4 sleep, you’re going to feel groggy for hours. So how do you make sure you wake up at the right time? There are two types of naps that we suggest:
The power nap. The power nap is when you sleep for only 20 minutes (or less). This ensures that you don’t fall into a deeper stage of sleep. This kind of nap is beneficial for mental alertness, energy, and memory. When you take a power nap, you might feel like you’re just starting to drift to sleep and then you get woken up. That’s okay! You’re still getting the benefits of a power nap. It’s kind of like a mini reset before you continue on with your day. Also, because it’s only 20 minutes, it can even be slotted in the middle of the workday if you’re feeling particularly tired that day.
The full sleep cycle nap. This type of nap is when you sleep for one complete sleep cycle (approximately 90 minutes). This type of nap is beneficial for both mental and physical recovery. During the deeper stages of sleep, growth hormone is released, which repairs muscle and bones. So if you had a hard workout in the morning, then this is the nap for you! This type of nap can also be used for if you have shift work or if you’re particularly sleep deprived (not ideal, but it happens!).
Whatever you do, don’t sleep between 30 and 60 minutes. When your alarm goes off, you will most likely be woken from a deep stage of sleep and your performance can actually suffer because of this. Not to mention you’ll feel awful!
Napping is slowly becoming more common, and some companies have even encouraged their employees to take a power nap during the work day - including Nike, Apple, Google, and Deloitte Consulting.
So the next time you’re falling asleep at your desk, take a power nap and don’t feel guilty about it. :)
What are we finding in the research?
In a study to determine the potential effects of naps on memory, college students were assigned to a nap or wake group and then performed a working memory task. The participants in the nap group were allowed to nap for a full 90-minute sleep cycle. The researchers found that total sleep time and REM sleep were associated with improved working memory!
So if you have a really important mental task you’re preparing for, sometimes the best preparation is actually a nap!
