How to Take a Nap

Napping can help you stay alert and refocused, increase productivity, and enhance cognitive abilities. Whether you’re at school, at home, or at work, learning how to take a nap is an essential skill. You can learn how to nap effectively, create the right environment for napping, and other things you can do when your surroundings don’t allow you to nap. Refer to Step 1 for more details.

Table of Contents

Take an effective nap

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Take a nap at noon. The best time to take a nap is between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., at this time, your body’s melatonin levels are at their highest and your energy levels are at their lowest. ^{[1] X Research Source} If you’re trying to cope with post-lunch sleepiness, taking a short nap can boost your productivity and keep you more alert in the long run, as opposed to drinking energy drinks and trying to overcome the drowsiness.

Avoid napping after 4 p.m., especially if you suffer from insomnia. Napping too late can make it difficult to fall asleep at night, when you need to go to bed.

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Don’t nap too much. A 10-20 minute nap is best. Sleeping more than this time will make you more sleepy than before because you have to go through the process of waking up again. ^{[2] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

Also, if you really need to nap because you didn’t get enough sleep the night before, try to get 90 minutes of REM (deep sleep) sleep. 60 minutes of sleep can leave you feeling groggy all day, while 90 minutes — the cycle of a full night’s sleep — can help you feel more alert.

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Alarm timer. Taking too long of a nap causes some people to actually fall into a deep sleep. Set an alarm so you can wake up and get on with your work, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. You can rest easy knowing that you won’t oversleep.

Set an alarm on your phone, or ask a coworker to wake you up by knocking on the door after 15 minutes.

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Use caffeine before napping. While it may sound counterintuitive to drink coffee right before a nap, caffeine takes time to be digested before giving you a sense of alertness – this usually takes about 20 minutes – so, Some people who are used to napping often use the caffeine method before taking a nap because they will be the perfect agent to help wake you up.

Drink a cup of hot or cold coffee before taking a nap so the caffeine can wake you up and help you feel awake and see things more clearly. You can also set an alarm to avoid oversleeping.

Create the right sleeping space

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Create a dark environment. Whether you’re at work or trying to take a nap in your living room, you’ll be more alert and fall asleep more easily if your surroundings are dark. Draw the curtains, turn off the lights, and “curl up” in a comfortable position.

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Eliminate noise and distractions. No lights, no radio, no TV, no other distractions. If you just want to rest for 30 minutes. You won’t fall asleep quickly if you listen to Sports Commentary for 15 minutes. Keep your surroundings completely silent and start taking a quick nap.

Use the restroom before you take a nap. Don’t let yourself be “caught” when you take a 5-minute nap.

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Consider using white noise to eliminate other distracting noises in your surroundings. If you can’t fall asleep quickly, use sounds, white noise, or even turn on a fan to create a low-pitched sound that can drown out other sounds of the world around you. . Do whatever you can to help you fall asleep quickly.

ASMR videos on YouTube contain whispers or some kind of background sound that many people find easier to fall asleep listening to. This is an easy and free method to help your mind drift or at least relax.

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Sleep in a comfortable position. Try to lie down completely. Even if you’re at work or somewhere other than your bedroom, you can lie on an armchair, or spread a towel on the floor to form a soft surface for you to relax in. can lean on and fall asleep. They won’t be too comfortable to make you fall asleep.

If you are at home, lie down on a bed or armchair. An armchair is more useful because you will be able to quickly wake and move out of position and make it harder for you to fall back asleep, making sleep a short break for you. If you sleep in an armchair, you will be able to easily resume your work right after taking a nap.
If you’re worried you might get in trouble at work, take a nap in your car and lean back in the car seat. If you’re allowed to take breaks but aren’t allowed to nap at your desk, find a secluded spot. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Keep the body warm. Your body temperature will drop as you fall asleep, so prepare a blanket or at least a long-sleeved shirt to keep you warm while you sleep. There won’t be enough time to take a nap if you have to constantly change positions or search for a blanket. So get all your supplies ready before you lie down.

Use alternatives

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Meditation. Instead of napping, give your brain and body time to rest without having to go through sleep. Set up a quiet environment, sit on the floor, and focus on breathing deeply. Instead of trying to sleep, try to clear your mind. The alarm timer is similar to when you take a nap and enter the world of rejuvenation and alertness without actually having to sleep.

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Go for a walk after lunch. If you often feel low on energy after lunch, you’re not alone. Instead of trying to nap, many people feel more alert with light exercise. Instead of taking a nap, leave work and go for a walk around the neighborhood, or even go for a brisk jog around the company building to boost blood circulation. Sunshine will keep you awake and provide you with the necessary energy.

Treadmills with built-in desks are becoming a popular item in many companies. If you own a treadmill in your home, walk and work at the same time.

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Gaming. A break in the middle of the workday won’t be suitable for you to play time-consuming role-playing games such as Skyrim, but Luminosity games help train the brain It will give your brain the rest and regeneration it needs, helping you get through a work day without sleeping. Similarly, crossword puzzles and Sudoku are brain-stimulating games that many people use to cope with their dull daily routine and to become more alert.

Find out if there’s someone in the company who likes games similar to yours that they can play with, like chess. Put the chessboard somewhere and check often to continue the game. Play a game of chess for a 10- or 15-minute break and then do the same thing again. This will help stir up your daily routine and help your thinking ability.

Advice

Wake up slowly. This will make you feel less uncomfortable and keep you motivated.
Sometimes, light can give you a headache after a nap, so open your eyes slowly to avoid getting a headache when you see light.
Taking a short nap while studying can help you retain information.
If napping is off your to-do list. To feel better, work on a few small tasks on your list, or part of a larger task. The feeling of accomplishing something will help you relax.
Keep the air temperature at 1-2 degrees cooler than usual.
If you are at work, make sure you are unsupervised. Beware of CCTV cameras and people who might be snooping on you.
If you are at home, before you go to sleep, visualize your “Happy Place” or the place where you feel most comfortable.
Avoid napping in bed. This will make you want to sleep more than necessary.
Use different types of background sounds to help you fall asleep. For many people, music can be quite helpful, for many others radio programs or audiobooks, sounds of nature/mellow music are agents that help them.

Steps

Take an effective nap

Create the right sleeping space

Use alternatives

Advice

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