Do You Need a Power Nap?
February 2nd, 2007If you begin to feel tired at certain times of the day maybe you need a power nap. A power nap or catnap is a short burst of sleep designed to give you a quick “pick me up” but not to replace a good night’s sleep. Taking a power nap is something you can do anywhere and when you only have minimal time available. A power nap is usually performed with the intention of only entering briefly into a sleep cycle, the result of which tends to help the napper feel more awake and less fatigued after the power nap.
There is no set time limit for a power nap but usually the ideal time for most people would be in the vicinity of 15-20 minutes. The reason this duration is ideal is because when the body sleeps for just 15-20 minutes the sleeper only manages to go into the first 2 stages of a possible 5 stages of sleep. Effectively this means the sleeper doesn’t get a chance to fall into the third and fourth stages of sleep that would result in the sleeper feeling groggy upon waking early. In a typical full night of sleep a person will go through 5 completes cycles of the 5 stages of sleep. To complete all these stages usually takes around 7-8 hours in total. After 15-20 minutes of light sleep a person will most likely wake feeling fresh and more alert than before the nap. When taking a power nap of around 30-45 minutes it’s likely the napper will wake in the middle of stage 3 or 4, which are deeper levels of sleep, this will result in the sleeper probably feeling even more tired than before taking the nap, this a condition referred to as sleep inertia. The best way around this problem is to either set an alarm to wake after no more than a 20 minute power nap or allow 1 full hour to have an extended power nap and complete a full 5 stage single cycle of sleep.
The most common time we tend to feel like taking a power nap is in the mid afternoon or about 8 hours after waking up in the morning. Our body moves in approximately 3 x 8 hour cycles. For someone living what would normally be considered routine hours the first cycle is our 8 hour sleeping period during the night, the second is from waking till just after lunch when we may begin to feel tired for a short while and the third cycle continues till we go to bed at night. Although it’s perfectly natural to feel a little weary during the mid afternoon, there is normally no need for a power nap but if you get the chance for a quick power nap it can help to elevate your alertness and doesn’t have any detrimental effects on your full nights sleeping pattern. If you were to have a 2 hour mid afternoon nap you might find that you have trouble falling asleep at night, causing restless sleep or having trouble waking up the next day.
The exception to the rule when taking longer power naps during the day is when you have been sleep deprived, this is what’s called sleep debt. Sleep debt means that you haven’t been getting a regular amount of sleep and are continually feeling overtired. Common symptoms of someone in sleep debt are fatigue, moodiness or perhaps even mild depression. Longer power naps for those suffering from sleep deprivation are ideal. The longer somebody goes without getting an adequate amount of quality sleep the more health problems they may encounter so taking longer power naps will help not only in the short term but will allow the individual to get back into a healthy pattern of regular sleep.
Although I don’t currently live in Australia, I remember for many years while I was living there and still to this day, the government in many Australian states has been campaigning for drivers on the road to “stop revive survive”. This campaign encourages drivers to stop on long drives, ideally after every 2 hours of continuous driving and take a quick power nap, have a drink of water or something to eat or just take a rest. The good news in Australia is that this is working. Statistics have shown since the campaign started there are now less fatigue related road accidents. All over the country there are local volunteers on major roads offering free coffee, drinks and food to weary drivers.
So next time you feel the urge for a quick power nap and you have the time, go for it but make it short. If you find yourself chronically tired, not only in the afternoons but at all times throughout the day, you might need more than a power nap. For those of you who drive on the road for extended periods, take into consideration what is working in Australia and stop revive survive, you might not get there as soon but it’s better to get there late than not get there at all.
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