If you interrupt yourself in the wrong stage of sleep , that's when you wake up groggy," Robbins says. If you think it'll take 5 minutes to fall asleep, then set an alarm for 25 or 35 minutes to factor that in. Maas says that initial grogginess is typically only temporary, and something as simple as a splash of cold water on your face can get you back into action.
Facebook Twitter Email. Feeling tired at work? Ditch the caffeine and take a power nap. Show Caption. Hide Caption. As busy working lifestyles become the norm, some companies are even testing the benefits of allowing their employees 20 minutes to recharge at the office, with designated nap spaces being introduced. But how would this affect you day-to-day?
If you do find yourself constantly tired, there could be an underlying cause. When it comes to necessary naps, it's important to examine the reasons behind it, such as stress or anxiety. Espie suggests cognitive behavioural therapy CBT for those with insomnia, based on extensive clinical trial research.
If you really want to overhaul your sleep schedule and rest in shorter bursts continuously, you could think about whether polyphasic sleep will work for you. But before you consider such an extreme sleep schedule, it's worth setting a routine. Try limiting your out-of-hours email checking and technology use after a certain point in the evening. You could also invest in a SAD lamp if you don't work somewhere with lots of natural light, as this can have a significant impact on mood and energy levels throughout the day.
For some people, this will include napping, but for others it will not. It comes down to what works for you," says Espie. I wouldn't particularly advocate power naps," he cautions. In addition, if you're suffering from insomnia , napping during the day can make you less able to get to sleep at bedtime, so should be avoided. And if you do have insomnia, you should be avoiding lie-ins as well to avoid putting your body clock out of synch - sorry! What is biphasic or polyphasic sleep and is it good for you?
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Homeostatic sleep drive is the technical term for the feeling of pressure to sleep.
It is synonymous with the hunger we feel for food the longer it is after our last meal. The pressure slowly increases throughout the day until bedtime, when we feel sleepy. Sleeping at night decreases sleep pressure, and then the cycle begins again the next day. Napping during the day diminishes homeostatic sleep drive, which can help us feel more awake and perform better.
As a result, napping can help with:. Naps also play a special role for drivers. Driving while drowsy is dangerous for you, your passengers, and others on the road. Drowsy drivers are involved in hundreds of thousands of car crashes in the United States each year.
To counter this, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends to first, get adequate amounts of sleep hours on a nightly basis. If you start to feel sleepy while driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends drinking caffeine and pulling over safely for a minute nap. However, this is not a long-term solution, as naps and caffeine are known to increase alertness for only a short period of time.
Shift work is any work schedule that falls outside the hours of 7 a. Shift work is associated with increased risk for health effects and injury due to sleep loss and circadian rhythm disruptions. Planned napping improves alertness and reaction time in shift workers. In fact, some people find napping counterproductive. Although reducing sleep pressure can combat fatigue, it can also interfere with your ability to fall asleep at bedtime. People who have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, for example, those with insomnia , may want to avoid napping.
Sleep inertia sleepiness after waking from a nap can be minimized or avoided by taking shorter naps. However, you can still feel disoriented even after a short nap, so napping may be disruptive if you need to get right back to work afterward. Children need more sleep than adults, and younger children need more sleep than older children.
As a result, the role of napping changes as we age. The National Sleep Foundation published evidence-based sleep recommendations by age. These outline the total recommended hours of sleep per day and are meant to include both nighttime sleep and daytime naps.
While research shows trends in the effects of napping, every individual is different. If you have questions about your sleep patterns, speak with a doctor or sleep expert. Taking naps can help children get sufficient sleep. Researchers have studied naps in children from infancy to adolescence:.
Many of the positive effects seen in children who nap are also found in young adults. Napping in early adulthood can alleviate sleepiness and improve cognitive performance and emotion regulation.
Employment and other obligations can make napping impossible. Also, some people simply have a hard time falling asleep during the day or away from the comfort of home. In older adults, certain adverse health effects have been associated with very long, mid-day naps more than an hour in duration. Researchers have linked long naps with an increased risk for diabetes , heart disease , and depression. This may be because long midday naps in adults is a signal that nighttime sleep is of poor quality.
Further research is needed to understand the relationships between napping and these negative outcomes in older adults. Alexa Fry is a science writer with experience working for the National Cancer Institute. She also holds a certificate in technical writing.
Truong is a Stanford-trained sleep physician with board certifications in sleep and internal medicine. She is the founder of Earlybird Health. Do you associate showering with a relaxing end to the day? Learn how showers affect your sleep, and whether hot…. Many large companies are leaning into the benefits that nap pods offer both them and their employees. We take a…. Wondering how to wake up early?
Learn strategies for improving sleep hygiene and adjusting your morning routine. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.
Some people take the power nap to the next level by consuming coffee or other source of caffeine immediately before falling asleep. A study published in the September—October issue of Chronobiology International had participants drink milligrams of caffeine right before a minute nap. Those individuals tested higher on careful attention and fatigue in the 45 minutes after waking up from the nap compared with those who did not consume caffeine before sleeping.
If you decide to give it a try, do it in the early afternoon. Power naps may be especially helpful for shift workers, especially those who need to avoid drowsiness for safety reasons, such as truck drivers or doctors prepping for surgery. You may not be able to make it work schedule-wise or you may be the type who wakes up feeling disoriented or even more tired than you were before, regardless of the duration of the nap.
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