Now that she’s working from home, Kendra King takes an early afternoon nap on most days, typically for about 20 to 30 minutes. “A lot of times, I don’t go in with the intention of taking a nap, but instead to lay down and rest,” said King, a writer in Philadelphia. “Then I end up drifting off and wake up feeling energized and fresh to continue on my day.
” King didn’t realize she had settled naturally into the napping routine that sleep experts recommend. Or that researchers say short naps improve motor skills, enhance memory and boost creativity , even though she has felt it. “I’m definitely more creative after napping,” she said.
That’s because so-called power naps lasting less than 30 minutes allow the brain to rest in a way that makes you more alert, experts say. The naps are not so long that you slip into deeper sleep that would leave you groggy after waking up. “We know it’s an easy, helpful way to quickly boost your alertness, your concentration, your productivity, your creativity and your mood.
It’s a royal flush,” said James Maas, who spent 48 years studying sleep as a Cornell University professor. Where naps fit into the circadian rhythm Maas, author of “Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But are Too Tired to Ask,” said nearly everyone experiences an afternoon lull in their energy. It comes down to the body's circadian rhythm, which includes two periods of drowsiness every 24 hours, once at night and again betwee.