July 09, 2006
Power Naps Should be at Mid-day?
Psychologist Dr. James Maas also recognises the benefit of the power nap. He suggests taking a power nap midday to not disturb the sleep-wake cycles.
I never thought about sleep-wake cycles. I will definitely use this to improve my power naps.
Cornell psychologist Dr. James Maas, author of Power Sleep writes that a 20
minute nap in the afternoon actually provides more rest than sleeping an extra 20 minutes in the morning. He also writes that napping, instead of being discouraged, should be considered a part of one’s “daily exercise routine.”
Naps should be performed at mid-day—about eight hours after we wake up—so as to not disturb the natural biorhythm of our sleep-wake cycles. Naps also should be short; definitely no longer than 30 minutes. (Longer naps allow us to settle into deep sleep, from which it is difficult to awaken).
Another nap secret? Don’t worry if you fall asleep or not. Just closing your eyes and relaxing peacefully will be refreshing in itself. The final anxiety to eliminate is concern about over-sleeping. Professional nappers set a timer for 15-30 minutes, which allows them to enjoy the full rest period without looking at the clock.
