Are you one of the many people who consider their afternoon nap time an important part of the day? If you are, then you are doing something right. Studies show that the benefits of napping include helping to improve a person's physical, mental and emotional health.
In an infographic from Wall Street Journal entitled "How To Take The Perfect Nap", the different napping tips, napping time periods and its benefits are shown. There are also some disadvantages shown depending on how many minutes the napping time is.
"Naps are actually more complicated than we realize," David Dinges, a sleep scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, told Wall Street Journal. "You have to be deliberative about when you're going to nap, how long you're going to nap and if you're trying to use the nap relative to work or what you have come up."
The infographic shows that 10-20 minutes of napping is ideal for boosting alertness and energy. People will also not feel groggy when they wake up from this kind of nap time -- making it easier to go back to work.
The 30-minute nap time can help strengthen the immune system and reverse the negative impact of inadequate sleep on a person's hormones. However, the benefits will only be apparent after 30 minutes of waking up from the nap time. Feelings of grogginess can last up to 30 minutes after waking up.
The 60-minute nap time is beneficial for the memory. Feelings of grogginess are usual after the nap time but you will be able to remember names, faces and facts better.
Nap time of 90 minutes is ideal for boosting creativity, procedural memory and emotional health. The 90-minute nap time is also ideal because people will not feel groggy when they wake up.
The infographic also shows that people suffering from insomnia or sleep apnea should not take afternoon naps; afternoon nap time can make it more difficult to sleep at night; nap time can reduce sleep deficit; dreaming during a short nap time means being sleep deprived; and the best way to nap is to sit slighty upright to avoid falling into deep sleep.
"You can get incredible benefits from 15 to 20 minutes of napping," says Sara C. Mednick, Ph.D, sleep expert and author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life, told WebMD. "You reset the system and get a burst of alertness and an increase in motor performance. That's what most people really need to stave off sleepiness and get an energy boost."
