Rising levels of adenosine positively correlate to increasing sleep pressure, which helps you fall asleep at night or during a daytime nap. During sleep, your brain purges adenosine, relieving sleep pressure. When you nap too close to your target bedtime, you are more likely to enter deep sleep and diminish too much sleep pressure. Naturally, you find it much harder to drift off during your Melatonin Window at night the window of time in which your body produces peak levels of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone.
You end up tossing and turning in bed due to increased sleep latency you take longer to fall asleep. Consequently, you rack up even more sleep debt than the previous day. To avoid this undesirable scenario, research advocates for napping during the afternoon dip of your circadian rhythm your internal body clock , which usually occurs between early to late afternoon.
This is the window of time when sleep latency is at its lowest and daytime sleepiness is at its highest, making it that much easier to nod off. The exact timing of your afternoon dip is highly dependent on individual characteristics, like the amount of sleep debt you're carrying and the chronotype you belong to your biological inclinations for sleeping and waking. A high sleep debt will undoubtedly deepen your energy dip, making you drowsier than usual, and encourage an earlier nap time.
Your chronotype influences when your afternoon slump happens. Morning people , whose body clocks run shorter than 24 hours, usually experience a more pronounced energy dip from noon to early afternoon.
Night owls, on the other hand, may only feel the lull from mid-afternoon onward. The RISE app can help you decide the best time for a nap. It shows the timing of your afternoon dip, based on your unique chronobiology, on the Energy screen. When it comes to napping, you can get too much of a good thing. Relating back to our earlier point of napping and sleep pressure, a long nap increases your odds of entering deep sleep, subsequently lessening some of the much-needed sleep pressure for nighttime sleep.
This is backed up by a small study involving nine healthy adults. Its findings show that a minute nap akin to a full sleep cycle reduced nighttime sleep efficiency how much time you are asleep while in bed by 2. As such, we recommend not going over a minute nap during your afternoon dip. It will give you the best chance of cycling through all stages of sleep non-REM and REM sleep to get the most out of your siesta without disrupting your natural sleep patterns too much.
Yes, naps can help pay down sleep debt, amp up alertness and focus, or refresh yourself during a particularly long day. But other experts are doubtful that 26 minutes is the optimum napping time. It's a bit too long and risks you falling into a deep sleep, says Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Council in the UK, which advises the government on guidelines for drivers.
Done together it has a more powerful effect. It probably works out that a nap of about 15 minutes is best, he says, because once you get beyond 20 minutes, you risk a deep sleep and you can be much more groggy when you wake up.
It works, there's no doubt about it. People can't instantly fall asleep, so it's impossible to exactly time how long you will be asleep, he says. 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.
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It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The Sleep Foundation editorial team is dedicated to providing content that meets the highest standards for accuracy and objectivity. Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. Updated October 9, Written by Alexa Fry.
Medically Reviewed by Kimberly Truong. Effects of Napping by Age. Types of Naps Naps can be categorized depending on the function they serve.
Recovery Nap : Sleep deprivation can leave you feeling tired the following day. If you are up late or have interrupted sleep one night, you might take a recovery nap the next day to compensate for sleep loss. Prophylactic Nap : This type of nap is taken in preparation for sleep loss.
For example, night shift workers may schedule naps before and during their shifts in order to prevent sleepiness and to stay alert while working. Appetitive Nap : Appetitive naps are taken for the enjoyment of napping. Napping can be relaxing and can improve your mood and energy level upon waking. Fulfillment Nap : Children have a greater need for sleep than adults.
Fulfillment naps are often scheduled into the days of infants and toddlers and can occur spontaneously in children of all ages. Essential Nap : When you are sick, you have a greater need for sleep. This is because your immune system mounts a response to fight infection or promote healing, and that requires extra energy. Naps taken during illness are considered essential.
How Long Should I Nap? Are Naps Good For You? Benefits of Napping Homeostatic sleep drive is the technical term for the feeling of pressure to sleep. As a result, napping can help with: Reducing sleepiness Improving learning Aiding memory formation Regulating emotions Naps also play a special role for drivers. Harms of Napping Related Reading. Sign up below for your free gift. Your privacy is important to us. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Taylor, P. Nap Time. Mantua, J. Exploring the nap paradox: are mid-day sleep bouts a friend or foe?.
Sleep medicine, 37, 88— Brooks, A. Cote and NASA suggest taking power naps between 10 and 20 minutes long. You'll get the most benefit from a sleep cycle without any of the grogginess associated with longer sleeping periods.
You don't need to get through all five sleep stages, just the first two. Even just getting to stage 2 sleep for a few minutes will revive a napper enough to give him or her a new outlook on the day.
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