I hate napping. Not like actually doing it, just the concept of it. I was led to believe that productivity is the only acceptable thing to do during daylight hours and nap time is for children. However, the more I go through college, and the less sleep I get overnight, the more I have come to appreciate the opportunities when I can just go back to sleep for an hour or two instead of making a dent in my workload. The way I see it is sometimes you just need the sleep. If you only got 3-5 hours of sleep and you have a few hours free, go back to bed! Most of the time, anything you try to do in that time isn't going to work anyway because you are so tired. So do yourself a favor and let your body and mind rest.
Not getting enough sleep can lead to irritability, memory lapses, impaired moral judgment, tremors, aches, and increased risk of type II diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Getting enough sleep is essential to maintain proper hormone balances, brain functions, and immune system functions. Obviously the best thing to do is to get all your sleep at once, but as college students we all know that sometimes that just can't happen. When sleep deprivation starts to affect your health, the best way to counter that is to nap. Even just getting a twenty minute power nap in the middle of the day can increase cognitive function.
Over the past year I have come to appreciate naps. While they do sometimes add to my stress load because it means time away from homework; more than once have I reached a point where I have had to say to myself “you can’t. take a nap”. And having napped, I am able to do what I need to do, even if it takes me a bit longer.
Some tips for getting the most out of your nap:
- Timing it. Multiple studies have shown that quick power naps of 20 minutes or longer naps of 90 minutes are the best lengths for naps that immediately make you feel better. Other times will still help, but may cause sleep inertia (grogginess and disorientation upon waking).
- Treat your nap like actually going to sleep. Find a place you can lie flat that is relatively dark. I find putting a blanket over my eyes helps me tremendously.
- Nap in the early morning or mid afternoon. Experts say mid afternoon (2-3 pm ish) is the best time to take a nap so as not to disrupt your usual sleep schedule. I personally find I am more available for napping between 10 am and 1 pm and usually take my naps in that window, which works very well for me.
So if you are finding yourself unable to keep your eyes open, words are swimming on the page, and being horizontal sounds more and more appealing; do yourself a favor and take a nap. It will lower stress, improve mood, and improve cognitive function so you are more prepared to face life when you wake up.
