How Long to Nap for Maximum Brain Benefit
You feel great when you wake up from an invigorating sleep . You are no longer depleted, you have more energy, and you can focus on what you need to do. The problem is that not every daytime nap falls into this category. Sometimes our sleep lasts too long, which disorients us when we wake up, and for some reason we get even more tired than before. Or maybe we go to bed but never actually fall asleep, so after 20 minutes we are just as tired and frustrated.
If this sounds like defining ideal sleep is science , it is because it is. Of course, not everyone has the luxury of carefully planned sleep (hello, parents and other caregivers!), But for those who might prioritize naps, there are studies out there figuring out how much and when we should sleep. Here’s what you need to know:
Types of daytime sleep
As it turns out, according to the National Sleep Foundation , there are three types of sleep :
- Routine naps (also called prep naps) are when you go to bed before you really get tired. This is a good option if you know you need to go to bed later than usual.
- Emergency sleep is exactly what it sounds like: falling asleep because you are suddenly very tired and can no longer continue with your usual planned activities during the day. An example is going to the side of the road to take a nap if you feel sleepy while driving.
- Habitual sleep is when someone falls asleep at the same time every day. While this is most common in young children, adults can certainly get into the habit too.
Pile length
The benefits of naps depend on how long you sleep. Here’s a breakdown of what happens to your brain during sleep of varying duration:
- 10 minutes: Believe it or not , even a 10 minute nap can make a big difference. In a 2016 study published in the journal Sleep, researchers found that 10 minutes of sleep can immediately increase alertness and improve cognitive performance for a full three hours.
- 20 minutes: The National Sleep Foundation states that 20 minutes is the ideal amount of sleep to experience benefits such as increased alertness, increased performance, and improved mood.
- 60 minutes: According to a 2015 study, if you can sleep for an hour in the afternoon, you can be less impulsive and more tolerant of frustration. However, sleeping more than 30 minutes during the day can disrupt your sleep later that night, Robert Oxman, MD, chiropractor and director of sleep at the Sleep Institute, told NBC News . This is because sleeping for more than half an hour can mean you are going into deep NREM sleep, so you may feel disoriented or even more tired when you wake up than before sleep, he says.
- 90 minutes: While 90 minutes of sleep is usually too long, this isn’t necessarily the case if your sleep was severely disrupted the night before, Sleep Expert Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D. reported to NBC News . That being said, an hour and a half sleep can provide the same cognitive benefits as an eight hour sleep period, ”said Sara Mednick, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of California, Riverside,in an interview with the American Psychological Association . Plus, the National Sleep Foundation claims that 90 minutes of sleep can boost your creativity.
When planning your sleep, be sure to calculate your sleep times at the right time of the day as well . You can also match your caffeine intake with your daytime sleep to get the most benefit.
This story was originally published on September 4, 2013, and was updated on June 19, 19 to provide more complete and up-to-date information.