But waking up refreshed after a nap is pretty f'n amazing too!
FYI we are not talking about those kind of naps... We are talking about the perfect length get up and go type o' naps....
- 1. Make sure you have no other commitments -- an unfinished to-do list can linger on your mind and prevent you from getting to sleep.
- 2. Wear comfortable clothing, something light and soft.
- 3. When washing sheets, add a scent that you enjoy, such as lavender.
- 4. Arrange pillows and covers suitably. (Make sure there are no wrinkles in the sheets, as they can cause discomfort. If you don't have a pillow, use what you can in your environment -- rest your head on your hands, use a sweatshirt, etc.)
- 5. Go to the bathroom, you can't take a nap bouncing up and down.
- 6. Turn off all lights, TV, music, and other distractions.
- 7. Lie down in a comfortable position.
- 8. Close your eyes and think of pleasant visions.
- 9. Relax and breathe softly.
And research shows that you can make yourself more alert reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a ‘power nap’, means more patience, less stress, better reaction time, increased learning, more efficiency and better health. Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of sleep and how a power nap can help you!
Many experts advise to keep the nap between 15 and 30 minutes, as sleeping longer gets you into deeper stages of sleep, from which it’s more difficult to awaken. Also, longer naps can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night, especially if your sleep deficit is relatively small. However, research has shown that a 1-hour nap has many more restorative effects than a 30-minute nap, including a much greater improvement in cognitive functioning. The key to taking a longer nap is to get a sense of how long your sleep cycles are, and try to awaken at the end of a sleep cycle. (It’s actually more the interruption of the sleep cycle that makes you groggy, rather than the deeper states of sleep.)
For years, naps have gotten a bad rap, derided as a sign of laziness, weakness, or senility. We are "caught" napping or "found asleep at the switch."
But lately napping has garnered new respect, thanks to solid scientific evidence that midday dozing benefits both mental acuity and overall health. A slew of new studies have shown that naps boost alertness, creativity, mood, and productivity in the later hours of the day.
A nap of 60 minutes improves alertness for up to 10 hours. Research on pilots shows that a 26-minute "NASA" nap in flight (while the plane is manned by a copilot) enhanced performance by 34 percent and overall alertness by 54 percent. One Harvard study published this year showed that a 45-minute nap improves learning and memory.
Napping reduces stress and lowers the risk of stroke and heart attacks. They can make you smarter, healthier and safer.
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