Have you ever wondered how long the perfect nap is? As we are all university students I am sure that at one point or another we have had the urge to take that quick nap in an attempt to replenish our mind and body. However, I feel that most of us have also experienced waking up from our nap feeling groggy and just plain out-of-it. So what is the secret to a perfect nap? It is called the power nap!
Nap time by buhny via Flicker Creative Commons
To understand the power nap we must first understand how the stages of our sleep cycle work. Essentially, sleep comes in various stages. In the beginning, known as the light sleep stages, you drift off as your brain slows down. On the other hand, in later states, known as the deep sleep stages, you reach deep sleep and REM. When we awake from the earlier stages we feel refreshed, alert and energized! This is because your brain hasn’t fully entered the sleep cycle and so waking up from it isn’t a strain on your brain. But on the other hand, if we awake during the deep sleep cycle we wake up feeling groggy and exhausted. This is because your brain has now entered deep into the sleep cycle, thus interrupting this cycle makes you feel the opposite of refreshed.
Youtube by AsapSCIENCE
Now you may be wondering how long of a nap this would require to avoid the deep sleep cycle. Many studies have shown that power naps less than 30 minutes are ideal for most people in achieving optimal results when waking, as these awake you during the light sleep cycle. For example, there was a study at the University of Düsseldorf that discovered that even naps as short as 6 to 10 minutes were able to restore memory , alertness and better learning/performance. Additionally, the Flinders University explained through their study that a 10 minute nap was the best length for a nap in terms of recuperation. This 10 minute length was based on the subjects only having 5 hours of sleep the night prior.
Idea Man by hank_rhoads via Flickr Creative Commons
Overall, the power nap can be extremely efficient in dealing with exhaustion and a fatigued mind when done right. It seems weird that a shorter amount of napping time will lead to better results when waking up, but we must consider how our brain functions when we sleep. So the next time you get back from lecture and only have an hour or so before your next lecture, why not try out a quick power nap to refresh and replenish your mind and body!
-Derek Rejto
