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It’s 2 p.m., and you’re sitting at your desk, staring at an open email draft you can’t bring yourself to type up. The post-lunch dip has arrived, but in today’s workplace, nothing stops in the name of productivity. But what you really need is a nap, or at least, you feel like you need one. But should you? Naps longer than 5 minutes have been vilified in our culture as leading to rest-of-the-day grogginess, ruining your sleep, and what’s more, labeled as laziness. You don’t need one! Get back to it!
Yet, emerging research unveils the untapped potential of napping. From sharpening memory to boosting mood, the benefits of a well-timed nap extend far beyond rest and relaxation. Let's delve into the functional health science behind napping and uncover how it can optimize cognitive function and promote overall well-being.
When It Comes to Naps, It’s All About Timing
Napping isn't just about dozing off when the mood strikes; it's about timing it right for maximum benefit. Studies reveal that a nap lasting between 30 and 90 minutes, ideally taken after lunch between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., can significantly enhance word recall, memory, and cognitive abilities, especially among older adults. This optimal duration strikes a delicate balance—offering a rejuvenating break without plunging into the depths of deep sleep, which can leave one feeling groggy and disoriented.
“I consider napping to be a good thing, but it needs to be taken in the context of the person and his or her own sleep cycles and body,” says Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center. Sleep cycles are the key; they, along with the circadian rhythm, are the unspoken rules our body uses to determine the length and quality of our rest. Understanding the sleep cycles is essential to napping right.
Whether they happen at night or in a nap, our body behaves the same way via four cycles.
Stage 1: Stage 1 is the lightest and briefest stage of sleep, lasting only one to seven minutes.
Stage 2: Stage 2 follows stage 1 and lasts about 10 to 25 minutes. During stage 2 sleep, the muscles relax, and body functions slow. However, sleep at this stage is still relatively light.
Stage 3: Stage 3 is a deeper, more restorative stage of sleep, and it can be difficult to wake up while in it. It usually lasts between 20 and 40 minutes.
Rapid eye movement (REM): During REM sleep, the body’s muscles are temporarily paralyzed, and the eyes move quickly under closed eyelids. Dreaming tends to take place during REM sleep.
When sleep periods last several hours, the body cycles through these stages several times. During a nap, though, there is not enough time to go through multiple sleep cycles.
In fact, during a short nap, a person may not be asleep long enough to spend much, if any, time in stage 3 or REM sleep. This can actually make it easier to wake up refreshed from a quick nap, or “power nap” of 5 to 15 minutes.
Longer naps, however, such as those lasting more than 30 minutes, can cause the sleeper to enter deep sleep, and deep sleep may start even sooner in people who are sleep-deprived. Grogginess often results from being woken up during deep sleep, and that’s why some of us struggle to get the most out of our naps. That longer nap, however, has been proven to help certain groups, such as athletes and shift workers, establish better recovery, improve endurance, and reaction times, and avoid sleep deprivation.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Naps
So while there are some rules, like making sure we’re not interrupting our sleep stages, napping is largely an individual journey. Research has reported clear benefits for healthy adults, including relaxation, reduced fatigue, increased alertness, improved mood, and improved cognitive performance. One observational study even found that napping one or two times a week was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, stroke, or heart disease.
However, napping isn't for everyone. Many people report disrupted nighttime sleep after taking an afternoon nap, even if they tried to maximize their timing. Others report unavoidable “sleep inertia”, that groggy, disoriented feeling after waking that they can’t shake. One analysis of multiple studies found that napping for more than 60 minutes a day was associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Another study of people living in France found napping to be more common in people living with anxiety or depression, obesity, high blood pressure, and type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
This is all to say that as much science as we have on sleep, it is not crystal clear how exactly naps affect health. That being said, most functional health experts recommend listening to your body. If you’re experiencing new fatigue or sleepiness, are a shift worker and expect sleep loss, take that snooze. Your body is telling you what it needs. If you are experiencing insomnia or other nighttime sleep issues, increased stress that might be affecting your day, or new health concerns, see a doctor or sleep specialist for guidance on the right approach to naps for you.
Conclusion
Napping, often dismissed as a luxury reserved for the lazy, emerges as a potent tool for enhancing cognitive function and promoting overall health. By understanding the intricacies of nap length, timing, and their impact on cognition, individuals can harness the power of daytime rest to sharpen their minds and invigorate their bodies. But be warned: If other parts of your life are affected, like your nighttime slumber or mental well-being, it’s time to consider different healthcare options. Yet, the next time you feel the afternoon slump creeping in, heed the wisdom of science. Your brain—and your body—will thank you for it.
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