Afternoon nap: tips for a restorative break
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Siesta, power nap, afternoon nap. Thanks to the August holidays, even those who are normally off work can indulge in a break in the early afternoon. And experience the benefits.
A nap that reactivates the mind
In some cultures, such as the Chinese, taking a nap during the lunch break is a long-standing and valued habit.
In hyper-productive Western societies, it's often considered a sign of laxity. Yet, according to research, the siesta (in Spanish, derived from the Latin hora sexta, meaning the sixth hour after dawn, or midday) is actually a spark that reactivates cognitive activity. As long as you do it right.
The variables on effectiveness
Some factors influence the benefits of napping:
– the circadian rhythms of nap time, with early afternoon being the most favorable time
– longer periods of preceding wakefulness favor longer naps than short ones
– those who take naps regularly appear to show greater benefits than those who nap rarely.
The benefits of power naps
An afternoon nap reduces sleepiness, thus restoring the ideal state of wakefulness, and promotes cognitive performance and learning.
The benefits of short naps (5-15 minutes) are almost immediate and last a limited period (1-3 hours).
'Falling asleep followed by only 7–10 minutes of sleep can result in a substantial increase in alertness, as it allows for the rapid dissipation of inhibition in cells active during wakefulness associated with the sleep-switch mechanism.', (Lovato et al., 2010)
Calculate your times well
Nap time should include the time needed to fall asleep and regain alertness. Therefore, it's a good idea to add 10 minutes for these phases to the sleep duration.
One trick to speed up recovery is to drink coffee before bed. During the short duration of sleep, the coffee will begin to produce the effects needed for waking.
Pay attention to the duration
Several researchers have shown that while naps of just 10 minutes improve performance and those lasting less than 30 minutes provide several benefits, extended afternoon naps lasting more than 30 minutes are associated with controversial effects.
In scientific literature they are associated with a loss of productivity and sleep inertia for a short period after waking, and then produce an improvement in cognitive performance for a longer period (up to several hours), compared to sleeping for a few minutes.
Holiday habits
Recent epidemiological studies, however, indicate that frequent and longer naps may even have long-term negative health effects, associated with components of metabolic syndrome, including elevated waist circumference as well as elevated fasting blood glucose and triglycerides.
Sleeping for more than half an hour after lunch during the holidays, however, is such a rare luxury that it dispels any fears about the quality of a well-deserved rest.
Marta Strinati
References
– Dhand R, Sohal H. Good sleep, bad sleep! The role of daytime naps in healthy adults. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2006 Nov;12(6):379-82. DOI: DOI:10.1097/01.mcp.0000245703.92311.d0
– Lovato N, Lack L. The effects of napping on cognitive functioning. Prog Brain Res. 2010; 185: 155-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53702-7.00009-9
– He J, Ouyang F, Qiu D, Duan Y, Luo D, Xiao S. Association of Nap Duration after Lunch with Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in a Chinese Government Employee Population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (12): 4268. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124268
