There are various ways to relax your body like doing some yoga, by following your favourite hobbies but taking a nap is the best way to relax your mental status. The short time period of sleep which is taken during the day to relax your body or to gain some energy is a power nap, which is of about 10 – 20 minutes minimum.
When to take a power nap?
When you are feeling sleepy in the daytime or feeling very tired, your eyes are paining, when you yawn again and again at the same time, after having lunch after all these signs we should understand that we should take a power nap now.
How to take a power nap?
There are several ways to take a power nap like:
- Create a restful environment around you.
- Sleep in a dark room instead of light because it helps you to sleep early in the dark room.
- You can also choose your own environment or a better place to take a nap, some like to sleep in a dark and silent environment and some like the opposite way.
- Choose the better position to take a nap like in a sitting position by doing heads down,
- We should take a nap after lunch shortly between 1 pm to 3 pm.
- Use a blindfold to sleep early.
- Before taking a nap, wash your eyes with cold or ice water to relax your eye muscles.
- Play soothing music which can also calm your mind and helps you to sleep early.
- Naps of 10 – 20 minutes would be the most effective as compared to long time naps; if we take naps longer than this time is usually called sleep, not nap.
- You should also avoid too comfortable places to avoid full sleep as in full night mode.
- According to a study published in 2006 (Brooks A, Lack L. A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal means night sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative? Sleep. 2006.), 10-minute naps improve cognitive abilities means learning abilities, restore vigour, counter fatigue (tiredness), and increase alertness.
- If you are not feeling like taking a nap, you can also relax your mind by closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.
- Do not forget to limit your daytime nap schedules.
Benefits of taking a nap during the daytime:
Some benefits or advantages are there of the nap, but we still have to know how to take a nap well:
- Relaxation: Hormone serotonin is released which is also known as the “feel-good hormone” that helps in controlling anxiety and stress levels.
- Taking a nap can lift up your mood quickly.
- Fewer chances of depression, anxiety, hypertension, and psychotic problems, but sometimes these can cause a high amount of sleep the whole day.
- Taking a nap or proper sleep can improve the body’s metabolism and digestion.
- Sometimes the body needs the energy to work properly and for that, we should take a short sleep or power nap.
- When we feel tired or weak which is known as fatigue which is noticed in sleep-deprived people, we should take a nap to improve work timings, better memory, etc.
Disadvantages of taking a long nap or sleep during the daytime or off the timing:
Some disadvantages are also there of taking long power or taking naps at the wrong time
- Excessive sleep can cause Narcolepsy disease.
- Sometimes excessive sleep can also cause fatigue (tiredness) with swollen eyes.
- If we fall asleep instead of taking a nap in the evening time approximately after 3 pm can decrease alertness, feel dizzy after waking up at the wrong time.
- Taking a long time nap in the evening can spoil or affect your night biological clock time sleep/sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm.
- We should avoid regular naps, it is unhealthy to take a nap daily because when we do something daily it becomes part of our daily routine, so when we take a nap at a particular time and if someday we cannot take it then our body responds in the opposite way which is not good for everyday life.
Also Read: Benefits Of Yoga: Yoga Practice Can Improve Your Life
