Even if you go to bed at a reasonable hour, falling asleep is not always easy. Your head is filled with work worries, thoughts about the news, and endless to-do lists. We have a proven way to improve your sleep: take a nap. In recent years, many people have been trying to figure out how much sleep is beneficial during the day. Fortunately, experts have found the answer.
ContentWhat are the benefits of napping? How long is it good to nap during the day to get the benefits of napping and exercise – what are the benefits?
Writer Jen Barton has been sleeping during the day for the past few weeks. She felt less irritable, more energetic, and found that the quality of her night's sleep did not deteriorate. How long did she sleep? 20-45 minutes. WomanEL decided to delve deeper into this question and find out whether napping actually has health benefits.
What are the benefits of napping?
Not everyone can or wants to nap during the day, but for those who can find a way to fit naps into their daily or twice-weekly schedule, the benefits can be enormous. There is plenty of scientific evidence to support this. Taking a nap a couple of times a week can also have physical benefits, potentially reducing the risk of heart disease such as stroke.
“Because sleep plays an important role in storing memories, a nap during the day can help you remember what you learned earlier in the day, just as a good night's sleep can. Napping helps you remember things like motor skills, sensory perception and verbal memory.” This was explained by psychiatrist Mita Singh, who specializes in applied sleep science.
How long should you sleep during the day to get the benefits
Daytime naps are not a solution for all. Anyone struggling with insomnia or other sleep disorders should focus on getting a good night's sleep before thinking about taking a short nap during the day.
Sleep specialist Dr. Kat Lederle tells Strong Women that there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to sleep. So it's worth experimenting with different sleep lengths and times of day to see what works best.
The afternoon and early afternoon, when we start to feel a dip in energy levels, are popular times to sleep. Dr. Lederle advises going to bed before 3 p.m. so it doesn't affect your ability to go to bed later in the evening, and aiming for naps thatlast 20 to 30 minutes.
This amount of sleep keeps us in the light sleep zone, where we are still somewhat aware of the outside world and can easily wake up. If you fall into deep sleep, it takes you a while to become aware of the outside world.
Limiting your sleep time to 30 minutes will also help minimize the chance of it affecting your night's sleep. Shorter sleep also works: even a 10-minute rest can give the body a chance to relax.
A longer 90-minute nap that takes you through your sleep cycle can be extremely beneficial for memory and motor skills. But you increase the risk of poor sleep at night. So be careful.
Naps and exercise – what are the benefits?
Exercise can improve our sleep cycle, but the opposite is also true. Elite athletes often incorporate pre-game sleep into their preparation (for example, US soccer player Megan Rapinoe).
“There is a lot of data that shows that sleep improves the physical and cognitive performance of athletes. It also helps with perceived tension and psychological conditions such as mood and stress. Daytime naps reduce feelings of fatigue, muscle pain and sleepiness,” says Dr. Singh.
In addition to improving alertness and energy levels, since sleep can improve our working memory, you may find it easier to remember combinations in fitness classes after sleep .
If you want to schedule sleep for your workout, either aim for a short nap of 20-25 minutes at least an hour before your workout, or a longer nap of 60-90 minutes to aid recovery after a workout.
Anxiety about the news is probably keeping you from falling asleep. We recently shared tips on how to get rid of it.