You wake up at 6:50 to get ready and grab a quick breakfast before you hike to your 8 a.m. through the trees across campus. You slept earlier than usual last night, but the first class of the day has drained you physically and emotionally. When you finally arrive back to your room, you consider your options.
You could watch that episode on Netflix you've been waiting for the perfect time to see. You could meet up with your friends in the dining hall and grab a snack before your next class. You could start your homework and be productive. Or, you could take a nap.
In college, you're expected to wake up early for your morning classes, and you're expected to sleep late in order to truly experience college. You need to be an early riser to find time to go to the gym, and you need to be a late sleeper because it's the only time all your friends are free. To balance school and your social life, you need to work around your busy schedule of lectures, discussions and labs.
There are different types of napping, and the duration of your nap reaps different benefits. Most common in college are emergency naps, naps that are unavoidable. These are unplanned, you don't realize you're exhausted until you find yourself falling asleep as you read every other sentence in your textbook.
After a dreaded class, a short nap can be exactly what you need to prepare for your next class or your study blast. Naps that last about 15-20 minutes are beneficial for brightening your mood, short-term alertness, and enhancing your performance. Short naps are also enjoyable because you avoid feeling more tired after waking up. Naps that last longer than 30 minutes are bound to make you feel more groggy unless you plan to sleep for at least 90 minutes.
You should nap whenever you feel like you need a boost, but the ideal time to nap is about seven hours after you wake up, but also a few hours before you plan to go to sleep. If you plan on taking a longer nap, you are more likely to mess with your sleep schedule so you should also plan on sleeping later.
As Michael Hyatt believes, "The secret to becoming more productive is not managing your time but your energy."
Napping not only helps with alertness but can also calm nerves, benefitting you emotionally and physically. Waking up from a nap often feels like you're waking up to a new day; you feel ready to go to class or go on a run.
If these benefits of napping aren't enough, naps also benefit your body. In the bodies of those who do not get full nights of sleep, stress levels are higher and heart rate and blood pressure levels are increased. After napping, these levels are back to normal. In addition, napping allows the body's endocrine and immune system to recover from any damage.
If you're feeling exhausted after a long day, take a nap and see how you feel.
