Beech Tree News Network

Napping is like a good dessert – something I don’t get daily. I’ve always enjoyed a nap, from the age

when my mom scheduled a rest after lunch, through college when it was a reward and even now when the opportunity arises. I believe a nap improves my energy and mood. But what do we know about napping?

An article entitled “How Long to Nap for the Biggest Brain Benefits,” (https://lifehacker.com/how-long-

to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits-1251546669) written by Melanie Pinola ad Elizabeth Yuko,

explained that the National Sleep Foundation has identified three types of napping:

“Planned napping (also called preparatory napping) is when you take a nap before you actually get

tired.... Emergency napping is exactly what it sounds like: falling asleep because you’re suddenly very

tired and can no longer continue with the regularly scheduled activities of your day....

Habitual napping is when someone takes a nap at the same time each day. Though this is most

common for young children, adults can certainly get into the habit too.”

Also, according to these authors, even a brief 10-minute nap can make a difference, immediately

increasing alertness and boosting cognitive performance for as long as three hours.

Additionally, Sleep.org (The National Sleep Foundation; https://www.sleep.org/articles/how-long-to-

nap/) explained that the length of a nap has much to do with how a person feels afterward.

The article provided the following information:

Just 20 minutes is all you need to get the benefits of napping, such as improved alertness,

enhanced performance, and a better mood. Naps of that length keep you in the lightest stage of

non-REM sleep, making it easier for you to get up and go after your snooze session. Be sure to set

an alarm so you don’t snooze for too long and wake up all groggy.

Nap for 30 to 60 minutes and you’ll hit the deeper stages of sleep, where your brain waves slow

down, making you feel groggy (as if you have a sleep hangover) when you wake up. It might not

be worth it to nap at all if you’re going to nap for this amount of time because you’ll likely come

out of your shuteye feeling less alert than before.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to lie down for 90 minutes, your body should have time to make

it through one complete sleep cycle where you go from the lightest stage through the deepest stage

of sleep and back again, so you’ll wake feeling refreshed. Bonus: Sleeping for this long has been shown to boost memory and creativity.

Interestingly, I found the following favorable comments about napping

(https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/nap):

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “After practice, I would have to go back to the dorm and take a nap.”

Julie Chen: “I love an afternoon nap.”

Jodie Foster: “I like to nap.”

Tom Hodgkinson: “When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.”

Sissy Spacek: “My biggest thrill in life is to read in the afternoon until I fall asleep and take a

nap.”

I believe naps are a healthy practice. I like to nap on Sunday afternoons and prefer a 90-minute or longer

nap. After all, according to Tom Hodgkinson, even tough people need a nap.