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The merits of an afternoon power nap

Anna Sandner
28/12/2023
Translation: Katherine Martin

Taking an afternoon power nap of 20 minutes or less doesn’t just refresh you – it has other health benefits, too.

What are the benefits of taking an afternoon nap?

A quick afternoon nap can also compensate for a sleep deficit at night and make you less susceptible to illness.

The right way to power-nap? Don’t sleep for too long

The key thing is not napping for too long. Otherwise, your siesta can quickly backfire, making you more tired than you were before. Ideally, you should find yourself a comfortable spot and curl up with a pillow and blanket. But not to worry – you can sit at your desk with your head resting on your arms if need be.

And if you’d rather rely on coffee to make yourself feel more awake, here’s another tip. Since it takes a little while to kick in, drink your coffee before your power nap. That way, the effect will kick in right when you wake up.

Worried about giving yourself a sleepless night because of your afternoon nap? Don’t be. Scientists have given power-napping the all-clear, demonstrating it has no negative impact on sleep at night. The only people who should avoid afternoon napping are those with sleep disorders.

So, for the sake of your health, treat yourself to a siesta more often. I’ll definitely give it a go. In fact, I plan to do the next edition of my «I did it!» series on power-napping. I’ve already attempted (with some modest success) to change my sleep-wake rhythm in order to get enough sleep: [[marketingpage:28858]]

If you want to read more about the sleep-wake cycle and our internal clocks, you can do so here:

Header image: Andrea Piacquadio/pexels

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Science editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always outside - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.


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