HOW POWER NAPS CAN GIVE YOU AN ENERGY BOOST AND IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH INTO OLD AGE
An afternoon catnap lasting from 10 to 30 minutes can leave you refreshed and recharged, and even strengthen your mental health over time
Many people swear by afternoon naps. You might take one after your early shift, during your lunch break while working from home, or at the weekend.
The first rule of afternoon napping is an alarm clock: if you do not want to feel groggy afterwards, you need to limit the duration.
Two experts weigh in on the benefits and how to make the most of this break in your day.
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Is taking an afternoon nap healthy?
"Yes, but only if they're power naps," says Markus Specht, director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sleep Medicine at DKD Helios Clinic in Wiesbaden, Germany. These are short naps of about 10 to 30 minutes - also called catnaps - that end before you enter deep sleep.
Studies in Mediterranean countries, where siestas are historically common, have shown that people there are less prone to cardiovascular diseases, obesity and strokes than those from non-siesta cultures.
"What's more, studies of people in the US showed their risk for these conditions decreased when they started taking afternoon naps and hadn't previously," says Dr Simone Koch, a German doctor, hormone expert and biohacker who investigates how healthier behaviours can optimise natural bodily processes.
When's the best time for a power nap?
Ideally, you should lie down and close your eyes for 15 to 20 minutes after lunch, between 1pm and 2pm.
"That's when your body experiences a natural energy slump and slips more easily into rest mode," Specht says.
It is important to keep the nap short so as not to sink into deep sleep, so "be sure to set an alarm", he adds.
What happens in the brain when you power nap?
When you close your eyes and wait for what comes next, your brain goes into a meditative state. Your brain waves are in what is known as an alpha rhythm, and your consciousness is idle.
"You can imagine it to be a bit like a screensaver for your mind that tidies up in the background and then restarts the system," Specht says. "That's why you feel so refreshed after a successful power nap."
Why do you sometimes feel groggy after an afternoon nap?
Usually this is because you let what should have been a power nap last too long, allowing your body to enter the deep sleep phase.
"Your brain's then ready to sleep for six more hours," Specht says. "If you're abruptly awakened, you feel downright disoriented."
On top of that, you do not become really alert again until evening and therefore have trouble falling asleep at bedtime.
Koch adds: "People with very low blood pressure often need quite a long time to get into gear again. So for them, even power naps may be disadvantageous."
Not everyone is made for afternoon naps. If they throw your day out of kilter by making you sluggish instead of refreshed, it is best to avoid them.
Can afternoon naps be counterproductive?
Yes, as noted above. If you regularly end up falling fast asleep, you will disrupt your natural sleep-wake cycle.
Yielding too early in the day to the build-up of "sleep pressure" - an increase of various neurochemicals and hormones in the brain that allow your body to sleep - makes it harder to fall asleep at night.
And having trouble sleeping at night can be extremely stressful for both mind and body. It can set a vicious circle in motion, leading to a bad case of insomnia requiring medical treatment.
Specht says that babies, the ill and the elderly are exceptions. Regarding the latter, he notes that "at an advanced age, the body produces less melatonin [known as the sleep hormone] at night, which reduces nighttime sleep, so napping during the day can be very restorative".
Can an afternoon nap make up for a sleepless night?
If you hardly slept a wink, let alone 40, after a wild party, due to heartbreak, intrusive thoughts or whatever, it is best to stay awake until evening. Similar advice is given to head off jet lag.
While a power nap can work wonders in these cases too, Specht says, you risk lying wide awake in bed at night.
What are the immediate and long-term effects of power-napping?
A proper power nap has effects that are felt at once, says Koch. "As soon as you get up again, you're more alert, receptive and able to concentrate."
If you make these naps a lifelong practice, you can reap their benefits into old age. There is even evidence that regular napping can significantly delay the onset of age-related diseases as well as frailty.
"I'm personally convinced that power naps not only make you physically and mentally fitter, but also strengthen your mental health in the long term," Specht says.
In short, regular power-napping can make you more alert, less stressed and better able to meet the day's challenges with equanimity.
And every power nap helps, even though for many people they are only possible at the weekend.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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2025-12-11T07:33:42Z
