Naps are Nice

There are multitudes of benefits to napping, when done right.

I live in a pro-nap-happy world. (pun intended) ...for maintaining optimal mental health & clarity. Let's face it, we all go through periods of foggy-ness, irritability, mood-swings, and/or feelings of disconnection. Any of those conditions may be instantly resolved within a blink of an eye. Some may require a rather lengthy blink.

Which style of napping will work best for you and/or your situation?

Blink nap. This is a momentary power nap you can easily enjoy, even without realizing! If anything, they're certainly the most amusing of naps; we've all witnessed someone do their best not to nod off while tired on the way home from work. For example, when you fall asleep during a train or bus trip this is considered a blink nap.
 
The benefits of the Alert nap are dubious, since one is generally not asleep long enough to truly relax. In this case it’s like a 'sleep attack', similar to a Blink nap. Shown to be surprisingly effective at shedding sleepiness. This is a longer nap, ranging from 2 to 5 minutes. Studies indicate that a power nap of this length can significantly reduce tiredness for the remainder of the day and also help improve alertness. Even though this type of nap has benefits, it's not something to regularly practice or make a habit.

Sleep Fact:

Large companies in the U.S. are convinced by the benefits of power naps.  So much so that Google have adopted the power nap to their policies by providing 'sleep pods' for staff on their lunch break.

 

Nap Trick:

When doing the alert nap, it will be helpful to hold a pencil (or small object) in your dominant hand while drifting off.  As you fall into a sleep, the hand-held object will become unstable, allowing your auto-reflexes to gain a grip.  Your reflexes will disallow you to fall into a deep sleep.

For a Quick Boost of Alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch. This is probably the one that gives you the best bang for the buck. This naptime even work great with coffee drinkers. By drinking 4 to 6 ounces of warm coffee, the body gets more relaxed. The caffeine will take about 15-to-20 minutes to kick in. Although longer than the other two, it is still relatively short in length, limiting your rest to NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep, making it easy to hit the ground running when you wake. Sleeping up to ten minutes longer than this may cause 'sleep inertia' - the groggy feeling which takes considerable time to ease off before the power naps' restorative benefits shine through.
 
For Cognitive Memory Processing, however, a 60-minute nap may do more good, Dr. Mednick said. Including slow-wave sleep helps with remembering facts, places and faces. The downside: some grogginess upon waking.
 
For a Full Cycle of Sleep, the 90-minute nap will likely involve a timer to wake up to. A full cycle of sleep aids creativity and emotional and procedural memory, such as learning how to ride a bike. Waking up after REM sleep usually means a minimal amount of sleep inertia.

In addition to those recommendations, one surprising suggestion is to sit slightly upright during your nap, because it will help you avoid a deep sleep. And if you find yourself dreaming during your power naps, it may be a sign you're sleep deprived.

　

...............Required Sleep:...............

Newborn.................... Up to 18 hrs

1-12 months................... 14-18 hrs

1-3 yrs............................ 12-15 hrs

3-5 yrs............................ 11-13 hrs

5-12 yrs............................ 9-11 hrs

Teens................................ 8-10 hrs

Adults................................. 6-8 hrs

It is best to get regular sleep on a regular schedule at presicely the same time daily.