WebMD
The Power of Napping
Ready, set, sleep! WebMD offers tips on how to snuggle up for a quick
snooze.
By Heather Hatfield Reviewed By Louise
Chang
Napping is a proven way to clear out the cobwebs and pave the way for a
more productive afternoon --whether it's Wednesday or the weekend. In
fact, in today's hectic world, as our lives get busier and the amount of
sleep we get at night gets shorter, counting sheep come midafternoon can
be an important way to recharge your battery.
"The majority of Americans are sleep deprived -- they aren't getting
enough nighttime sleep," says Bill Anthony, PhD, author of The Art of
Napping. "Since most people can't rearrange their lives to get more
sleep -- with two jobs, child care, elder care, long commutes, whatever
it happens to be -- we recommend they learn how to nap."
Experts describe to WebMD the power a "power nap" can have on your life,
and offer tips on how to snuggle up for a quick snooze.
Know When to Nap
"Naps are one of the most powerful alertness strategies," says Mark
Rosekind, PhD, president and chief scientist at Alertness Solutions. "It
is the only strategy that gets directly to the 'sleep debt' we rack up
at night when we don't get the amount we need."
So one of the most important components of napping is knowing when to
lie back and relax.
"What people should do is develop their own signs and symptoms
checklist: What are the things you do when you know you are at your peak
performance, and what are your individual signs and symptoms that
indicate you are tired," Rosekind tells WebMD.
For some people, it's mood; anything sets them off. For others it's
memory; they can't remember where they put their keys.
"You need to identify signs for you that you are off your game, and
those are cues that you should use to indicate you need a nap," says
Rosekind. "When you're not getting enough sleep, it can degrade all
aspects of who you are -- affect your judgment and decision making. It
can reduce your reaction time, your memory, your communication skills,
and these things can go down 20%-50%."
Even NASA Likes to Nap
Napping is a good solution to achieving optimal performance. So when
you're ready to catch some ZZZs come 1 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon at
work, how can you get your boss on board with you sleeping on the job?
Tell her even NASA agrees with napping.
"When I was at NASA we gave the pilots a planned nap in the cockpit,"
says Rosekind, who is a board member of the National Sleep Foundation.
"While two pilots flew the plane, the third would have 40 minutes to
nap. We found they would sleep for 26 minutes, which boosted their
performance by 34% and their alertness by 54%."
In less than a half hour, the pilots were able to increase their
performance significantly, and better yet, explains Rosekind, the
effects of a short nap lasted for two to three hours.
Control Your Environment
"If possible, lying flat when you're napping is a good start," says
Rosekind. "Control the environment, which means dark and quiet, and that
can either be shutting windows and doors, or potentially earplugs if
needed, and sometimes a mask is good for daytime naps. Create as much
comfort as you can get, give yourself enough space, control the
temperature with a blanket or a pillow -- [and] any other things you can
do to get comfortable."
Get Out Your Blankie
"Gather your 'napnomic' devices," says Anthony, who is director of
psychiatric rehabilitation at Boston University. "It's a word we made up
meaning devices that assist you in napping. As infants and toddlers we
had teddy bears, bottles, pacifiers, crib sheets -- all these things to
help you nap. We do this as an adult, as well, although it might be a
favorite blanket, or opening a window, putting on music, various things
that get you in a napping mood."
Anthony explains that in addition to your own napnomic devices, napping
is an individual unconscious activity. You should nap according to what
works for you. Some people need to eat before they nap; others do it on
an empty stomach. Some people need background noise, others prefer dead
silence. How you nap, explains Anthony, should center around your own
napping style.
Sleep Inertia
"Another important tip to napping is to understand and be prepared to
deal with sleep inertia," Anthony tells WebMD.
Sleep inertia, he explains, is that groggy and disoriented feeling some
people get when you wake up from a nap.
"The trick is to find out what nap period works best for you that
doesn't produce that feeling," says Anthony.
For some, 10 minutes is just right for a nap, while for others, 20
minutes hits the spot. Whatever your nap number, if sleep inertia does
set in, you can easily spring back into your afternoon, explains
Anthony. Splash water on your face, have a glass of water, go for a walk
-- something quick to wake yourself up.
Nappers beware, however, that you can overdose on the afternoon snooze.
When your nap starts creeping upward toward 25 minutes or 30 minutes and
beyond and you fall into deeper stages of sleep, you can hinder your
ability to fall asleep when it counts: at night.
'Nappus Interruptus'
Also important when you hit the hay midday is to do it uninterrupted.
"You need to have control over your napping environment and make sure
you have privacy," says Anthony. "We call it 'nappus interruptus': if
you are going to get interrupted from your nap it's not going to be a
good nap."
Set Your Alarm
"Ensure that you have a way to wake up on time," says Anthony. "Either
an alarm clock, a wrist watch, or a colleague that will wake you up on
time. A lot of people lie down and they don't know if they're going to
wake up or they worry they're going to sleep too long, and it winds up
ruining their nap."
Stay Regular
"Just as you should have a regular sleep-wake schedule at the same time
every day from Monday to Monday, including the weekends, your napping
should be regular as well," says James Maas, PhD, professor of
psychiatry at Cornell University.
While napping once or twice a week might feel good, it can throw your
internal clock -- what experts refer to as circadian rhythm -- out of
whack.
"You shouldn't just nap once or twice a week; you have to do it on a
regular basis or you'll screw up your circadian rhythm," says Maas.
"It's like playing ping-pong with your sleep habits."
Sleep at Night
While napping is crucial to getting the sleep we need when we're burning
the candle at both ends, it's also important not to undervalue the sleep
we need at night. The amount of sleep each person needs may depend on
different factors such as age.
"Try to avoid all naps as a general rule, unless you can't meet your
daily sleep requirement," says Maas. "If a person is having adequate
nocturnal sleep at night he should never feel tired during the day."
While some people never nap and feel good all day long, others are
constant nappers. Why the discrepancy? It probably has something to do
with the fact that the first group is well-rested, while the second is
just plain pooped because they stay up late and get up early.
"If you do have that tired feeling after lunch and have a dip in
alertness, that should be a signal that you are not getting adequate
sleep at night, which means you need to nap during the day to make up on
the sleep you miss at night," says Maas.
Enjoy Your Nap Time
"Revel in your nap," says Anthony. "You are unconscious, but you should
be enjoying it. Tell yourself or your colleagues that napping is good
for you and it's going to help your mood and productivity -- and that's
a fact. So remind yourself of that and get over the guilt and enjoy it."
Published Sept. 25, 2006.
SOURCES: Bill Anthony, PhD, author, Art of Napping; professor, Boston
University. James Maas, PhD, professor of psychiatry, Cornell
University, Ithaca, N.Y. Mark Rosekind, PhD, president, chief scientist,
Alertness Solutions; board member, National Sleep Foundation, Cupertino,
Calif.
