Doctor reveals his tips for the best night's sleep
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Sometimes a quick nap is all you need to give you an energy boost when you haven’t quite slept enough the night before. But sometimes you can nap at the wrong time or for slightly too long and feel much worse than you did originally. We’ve all been there! So, what’s the perfect length of time for a nap? Express.co.uk chatted to sleep expert Kiera Pritchard from Eachnight.com to find out the three steps to the perfect nap.
How long is too long to nap?
Sleep happens in cycles, so it’s important to choose a nap length that works with the demands of your day.
Sleep expert Kiera said: “A normal sleep cycle averages 90 minutes in length, and it starts with lighter stages of sleep before entering deep, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep.”
How long you should nap is all about where you get to in the sleep cycle.
Long naps generally aren’t an issue, unless they’re taken too close to bedtime.
The expert advised: “The best time of day to nap is usually six to eight hours after waking – for most people, this time is typically somewhere between 1pm and 3pm.
“Napping any time after this is likely to interfere with your sleep schedule and may make it difficult to fall asleep at night.
“Try not to nap any later than early afternoon or beyond the rough midpoint of your usual wake time and bedtime.
For many sleepers, this cut-off point would be around 3pm. Napping too late can throw off your sleep schedule and make it challenging to get a full night’s rest.”
According to Kiera, a 90-minute nap allows you to complete one full sleep cycle. Waking from these naps is generally easier.
She said: “Since you experience each stage of sleep and wake up back at stage one, these naps leave you feeling refreshed and more awake, so they don’t cause sleep inertia like an hour-long nap can.
“A full sleep cycle can boost creativity and improve procedural and emotional memory.
“However, you should avoid taking 90-minute naps within seven hours of your scheduled bedtime to ensure it doesn’t interfere with your nightly sleep.”
A nap lasting 30 to 60 minutes might sound tempting, but this will get you into the third and fourth stages of sleep (which is very deep).
This isn’t great because, when you wake up, you may experience sleep inertia (the transitional stage between sleep and wakefulness).
Kiera said: “This can leave you feeling groggy and drowsy – not ideal if you have to focus for the rest of the day!”
If you don’t have time to nap for a full 90 minutes, a 10 to 20-minute power nap is great for boosting energy and alertness, thankfully!
The expert said: “During a power nap, you stay in the first two stages of non-rapid eye movement – these are the lightest stages of sleep, which means you’ll wake up easily.
“Power naps provide immediate benefits. They boost alertness and performance levels and can decrease any feelings of sleepiness.”
The three steps to the perfect nap
Step one
Find a quiet, restful place to take your nap. Ideally, the space should be dark and relatively cool with minimal distractions.
However, if you’re not at home taking a nap in your bedroom, you may have to improvise.
If you plan to nap at your office or in your car, an eye mask and earplugs can help you block out outside noise and light.
Step two
Before you lie down and close your eyes, set an alarm for the amount of time you want to sleep for.
If you’re out of the house, you should be able to use a smartphone app with an alarm clock.
Step three
If sleep is eluding you because you’re focused on things to do after your nap and other sources of stress, try relieving stress and relaxing with breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation.
Once you’re lying down with your eyes closed, breathe slowly in and out. While breathing in, focus on directing your breathing down to your belly.
Saying a mantra to yourself, such as “Breathing in I am calm, breathing out I am coping” while performing this breathing exercise may also help.
After you’ve taken a few gentle breaths, start tensing groups of muscles as you breathe.
This method requires you to hold a muscle’s tension as you breathe in, releasing it as you breathe out.
Start with the muscles in the head and neck, then move your focus down your body.
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