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It’s mid-afternoon, your eyelids are heavy, and you’re having trouble concentrating. You close your eyes for half an hour and wake up feeling energized. But later that night, you’re tossing and turning in bed, wondering why you can’t sleep. That nap that felt so refreshing at the time was probably why.
Naps have long been considered a tool for increasing alertness, improving mood, enhancing memory and increasing productivity. For some people, however, they can disrupt a night’s sleep.
doze off It’s a double-edged sword. Done right, it’s an effective way to recharge your brain, improve focus, and support physical and mental health. If done incorrectly, it can make you groggy, disoriented, and have trouble falling asleep later. The key is understanding how the body regulates sleep and wakefulness.
Most people’s alertness naturally declines in the early afternoon (usually between 1 and 4 p.m.). It’s not just that a heavy lunch is our biological clock, or circadian rhythmcreating a cycle of wakefulness and fatigue throughout the day. The afternoon lull is part of this rhythm, which is why many people feel drowsy at that time.
Research shows that taking a nap during this time, preferably in bright light, can help offset fatigue, increase alertness, and improve cognitive function without disrupting nighttime sleep. These “naps” allow the brain to rest without falling into a deep sleep, making it easier to wake up feeling refreshed.
But there is a problem: doze off Going too long may result in waking up feeling worse than before. This is due to “sleep inertia” – the grogginess and disorientation that occurs when you wake up from deep sleep stages.
Once a nap lasts longer than 30 minutes, the brain switches to slow-wave sleep, making it harder to wake up. Studies show that people feel sluggish for up to an hour after waking from deep sleep. This could have serious repercussions if they then attempt to perform safety-critical tasks, make important decisions, or operate machinery, for example. If you nap too late in the day, you weaken “sleep pressure buildup”—the body’s natural drive to sleep—making it harder to fall asleep at night.
When a nap is necessary
For some people, napping is essential. Shift workers often face the problem of sleep fragmentation due to irregular schedules. Taking a nap before the night shift can improve alertness and reduce the risk of errors and accidents. Likewise, people who often struggle to get enough sleep at night (whether due to work, parenting, or other demands) may benefit from taking naps to save up extra hours of sleep to make up for the lack of sleep.
Still, relying on naps instead of improving your night’s sleep is only a short-term solution, not a sustainable one. people with chronic diseases Insomnia People are often advised to avoid naps altogether because daytime sleep weakens their motivation to sleep at night.
Some groups use strategic naps as a performance-enhancing tool. Athletes incorporate naps into their training plans to speed up muscle recovery and improve sport-related parameters such as reaction time and endurance. Research also shows that people with highly focused jobs, such as healthcare workers and flight crews, can benefit from short planned naps to maintain focus and reduce fatigue-related errors. NASA found that a 26-minute nap can improve long-haul flight operators’ performance by 34% and their alertness by 54%.
How to take a good nap
To take an effective nap, timing and environment matter. Taking a nap of ten to twenty minutes can prevent drowsiness. The ideal time is before 2pm – taking a nap too late will delay your body’s natural sleep schedule.
The best naps occur in a cool, dark, and quiet environment, similar to nighttime sleep conditions. Eye masks and noise-canceling headphones can be helpful, especially for those who nap in bright or noisy environments.
Although naps have benefits, they are not suitable for everyone. Age, lifestyle and underlying sleep patterns can all influence whether napping helps or hinders. A good nap depends on strategy – knowing when, how and if you should nap.
For some, it’s a life hack that improves focus and energy. For others, it causes sleep disruption. The key is to experiment and see how napping affects your overall sleep quality.
If done wisely, napping can be a valuable tool. Done poorly, they might be the reason you’re staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night.
Talar Moukhtarian is Assistant Professor of Mental Health, Warwick Medical School. University of Warwick
This article was originally published on dialogue and republished under a Creative Commons license. read Original article