We all need a good nap, right? Or at LEAST, crave a good nap!! Whether it is because ours kids have us exhausted, your work schedule is crazy, you sleep like garbage at night, or heck, you just love a good nap!! Whatever the reason, we could all use one, am I right? But how LONG is the ideal nap? I've heard many answers to this, ranging from 10-15 minutes up to two hours. For me? It's anywhere from 2-4 hours. Just kidding...I wish it was! To be honest, a quick 15 minute boost works well...and as much as a 3 hour nap sounds glorious...that's a little long and I'm too groggy after.
So...according to SLEEP EXPERTS (how do you garner THAT title? Are there college classes, and does it involve lots of sleeping to get a good grade and acquire expertise?) interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the ideal nap time varies. A 10-20 minute nap is ideal to boost alertness (think about this when drifting off while driving on long road trips!) A 60- minute nap helps with cognitive memory processing but is the nap the comes with grogginess...so that one is out for me! And a 90-minute nap helps to aid creativity and emotional and procedural memory...so helping when learning a new skill and gives you an emotional recharge. Bottom line...go for the 90-minuter!
Lastly...when taking a short nap...try drinking coffee right before the nap! Caffeine requires around 30 minutes to take effect, meaning it should kick in right after your nap ends! Good luck and happy napping! ~kev
For the full article I found on MSN.com, click here!
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