How Long Should a Nap Be

Posted on August 30th, 2022 by Grossman Furniture.

There are few things more revitalizing than waking up from a good nap and feeling like your best self. Naps have a unique power to turn a stressful day into a pleasant one – just by giving you those extra minutes of rest.

Although naps sometimes seem like the best thing that has happened to you in a long time, that’s not always the case. If you oversleep and then wake up too late, it can feel like you lost your day – or even fatigued rather than rested. Or if you’re woken up mid-nap, you might feel in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

What’s the ideal timing, then? How long should a nap be in order not to feel too short or too long? The good news is that there’s a lot of scientific research on this to help you understand how to nap the right way!

1 – Types of naps and when to use them

There are several types of naps – depending on your need at the time and your current sleeping pattern. If you revise yourself in some of these, it’s because you could really make use of the power of napping!

Recovery nap – If you didn’t sleep enough hours the night before, you might be feeling tired due to sleep deprivation. Worry not, because a short nap might be enough for you to recover! Just close your eyes to recover from a power nap and you’ll see the differences when you wake up!

Prophylactic Nap – Do you work by shifts? Do you lack a unique sleeping pattern, and wake up and go to sleep at different times of the night/day? Then, use this type of nap in your favor. Start scheduling short naps before and, if possible, during your shifts. This way you’ll be able to prevent sleepiness and stay much more focused when doing your job.

Appetitive Nap – This is the type of nap that doesn’t need a reason to exist. It’s just there, for those who love taking naps for the sake of resting. With this nap your body can feel relaxed and really improve your mood and energy levels!

Fulfillment Nap – This is more for children and infants, as at a younger age there’s a real need to nap throughout the day. These are usually scheduled and happen at similar times every day.

Essential Nap – A non-negotiable type of nap that occurs whenever your immune system is harmed. This is the kind of nap everyone needs when feeling sick. You must allow your body and mind to rest so you can recover faster. Especially because your immune system is trying to fight infection and help you heal – which takes extra energy.

2 – Main benefits of napping

Napping has many benefits that are directly related to creating a pattern of resting. Although some people may think that the more you rest, the more energized you feel, that’s not quite true.

It’s all about knowing how to create a balance and respecting the sleep stages. This is important so you don’t set your alarm to wake you when you’re sleeping heavily.

The main benefits that a nap can bring you are:

• Improvement of energy levels
• Improvement of ability to learn
• Better memory formation
• Reduction of sleepiness during the day
• Regulated emotions

A short nap might be a life-savior – of your mood and, sometimes, of your life. Several car accidents are caused by people that fell asleep at the wheel.

Taking at least a nap throughout the day can help you with many functional parts of your body…and mind!

3 – The big question: How long should a nap be?

The first important part is to understand that your sleep works in stages. The duration of your nap will be directly related to the sleep stage you want to reach. There are essentially 2 types of naps that are recommendable for adults:

Power Naps – With 10-20 minutes duration, these naps are a great way to rest for a short period. You’ll wake up feeling fresh, energized, and alert. The best part is that, since they’re so short, they won’t impact your ability to sleep at night!

90-minute Naps – As the name indicates, these naps last for 90 minutes and allow you to go through all sleep stages. This way, you won’t wake up in the middle of any stage – which is what causes drowsiness, fatigue, and grumpiness. If you have time to take this nap, do it a long time before going to sleep as it will make you feel much more energized for the rest of the day.

It has great benefits such as making you feel more creative, more focused, with more energy – and with a better mood!

4 – How to nap the right way

Choose the right time – It’s not only important to know ”How long should a nap be?”. It’s also essential that you respect your daily timings. You don’t want to nap too late in the day, meaning, too close to bedtime. After all, the idea is that you feel energized enough until it’s time to go to sleep – but not so much that you can’t actually sleep afterward.

Napping right in the middle of your day – between the time you woke up and plan to go to sleep – is ideal.

Choose the right space – To nap the right way, you need the ideal environment. Napping on a comfortable mattress is essential for you to make sure that a few minutes are enough. Otherwise, you might end up taking more time tossing and turning around than napping. If you’re looking for the right mattress for your naps and for you to sleep better at night – look for it at our store! We have a mattress store in Philadelphia that promises to give you all the options you need to finally have the sleep of your life.

Set an alarm – There’s no better way to stick to the nap duration you want to stick with than by setting an alarm. This will also help you with feeling completely relaxed, with no fear that you’ll oversleep.

Forget all your worries – Nap time is not endless-thinking-in-bed-time. This is your chance to just disconnect and reset. It might be helpful to try some relaxation or meditation exercises. The goal is to take a nap that makes you feel worry-free!

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