For many of us, more hours of shut-eye at night just doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Is there anything we can do? Yes.
Naps. Wonderful, glorious naps.
They’re not a full-on substitute for lack of sleep but they can do much more than you think and in less time than you’d guess.
Without them, you’re going to be a mess. Here’s why.
Wanna Be Dumb And Ugly?
Lack of sleep not only makes you ugly and sick, it also makes you dumb: missing shut-eye makes 6th graders as smart as 4th graders.
And if that’s not enough, lack of sleep contributes to an early death.
Via Night School:
Maybe you think you don’t need all that much sleep. You’re wrong.
Less than 3% of people are actually 100% on less than 8 hours a night. But you feel fine, you say?
That’s the fascinating thing about chronic sleep debt. Research shows you don’t notice it – even as you keep messing things up.
In her TED talk, Sara Mednick, author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life, gives the rundown:
Now here’s the part you’ve probably never heard:
Eight hours might not even be enough. Give people 10 hours and they perform even better.
Via Power Sleep:
I know what you’re thinking: 10 hours a night? I don’t have time for that. I barely have time to read this post.
Is there a compromise?
Naps.
Can closing your eyes for a few minutes really make that much of a difference? Keep reading.
NASA Says You Should Sleep On The Job
Research shows naps increase performance. NASA found pilots who take a 25 minute nap are 35% more alert and twice as focused.
Via Night School:
Little siestas helped people across a whole host of measures. Improved reaction time, fewer errors…
NASA found that naps made you smarter — even in the absence of a good night’s sleep.
Via Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep:
Study after study has shown naps boost learning.
Via The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills:
And naps make you happier. Studies show we can process negative thoughts quite well when we’re exhausted — just not the happy ones.
Via NurtureShock:
What’s not to love? I know. You’re busy. You’ll just have another cup of coffee. Sorry, research shows naps beat caffeine.
So how do you nap the right way? How do you get the results you want with minimal effort? Here’s what science says.
The Perfect Nap For You
Whatever your limitations and desires, there’s a nap for you. Looking at research from Richard Wiseman and the WSJ, here’s a breakdown.
Which one describes what you need?
1) “I Just Need To Be More Alert And Focused”:
Take a 10-20 minute nap. You’ll get a boost in alertness and focus for 2 hours or more, pay off a little sleep debt and even reduce blood pressure.
2) “Brain No Working. Need Smartz”:
Consider a 60 minute nap. You’ll get all the benefits of the 10-20 minute nap while also improving memory and learning.
But be warned: 60 minute naps cause grogginess.
3) “I Want It All, Baby”:
Take a 90 minute nap. This allows your brain to experience a complete sleep cycle.
You’ll get the full whack: increased alertness, memory, learning, creativity and performance — with no post-nap grogginess.
4) “I Don’t Know What I Want But You’ve Scared Me Into Napping And I Don’t Have Much Time”:
Go with 10 minutes. It beat 5, 20 or 30 minute naps in a comparativeresearch study.
5) “I don’t have enough time to tell you how little time I have”:
No nap is too short: “A 2008 study showed that even a nap of a few minutes provided benefits. Just anticipating a nap lowers blood pressure.”
Got more questions? I have answers:
Sum Up
We’d all be better off with 10 hours of sleep a night — but that’s not going to happen for most of us.
Naps can boost performance and help make up for some of the problems sleep deprivation can cause.
Learn the sleep secrets of astronauts here and a neuroscientist’s recommendations for the best way to use caffeine here.
In the meantime, see if you can sneak a nap this afternoon. As Groucho Marx once said:
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Related posts:
4 Things Astronauts Can Teach You About A Good Night’s Sleep
6 Proven Steps To The Best Night’s Sleep You’ll Ever Have
What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?
This piece originally appeared on Barking Up the Wrong Tree.
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