Now that she香蕉视频直播檚 working from home, Kendra King takes an early afternoon nap on most days, typically for about 20 to 30 minutes.

香蕉视频直播淎 lot of times, I don香蕉视频直播檛 go in with the intention of taking a nap, but instead to lay down and rest,香蕉视频直播� said King, a writer in Philadelphia. 香蕉视频直播淭hen I end up drifting off and wake up feeling energized and fresh to continue on my day.香蕉视频直播�

King didn香蕉视频直播檛 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.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 definitely more creative after napping,香蕉视频直播� she said.

That香蕉视频直播檚 because so-called power naps lasting 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.

香蕉视频直播淲e know it香蕉视频直播檚 an easy, helpful way to quickly boost your alertness, your concentration, your productivity, your creativity and your mood. It香蕉视频直播檚 a royal flush,香蕉视频直播� said James Maas, who spent 48 years studying sleep as a Cornell University professor.

Where naps fit into the circadian rhythm

Maas, author of 香蕉视频直播淪leep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But are Too Tired to Ask,香蕉视频直播� said nearly everyone experiences . It comes down to the body香蕉视频直播檚 circadian rhythm, which includes two periods of drowsiness every 24 hours, once at night and again between about 2 and 4 p.m.

In a typical night, people go through several 90-minute sleep cycles spread over five stages, from light to deep sleep, with the deepest falling toward the middle. Daytime sleep follows the same cycle, which is why Maas doesn香蕉视频直播檛 recommend hourlong naps. Waking up from such deep sleep can take up to an hour to return to normal, thanks to what香蕉视频直播檚 called sleep inertia.

Shorter naps only include stage-two sleep, which is particularly helpful for alertness and memory, said Sara Mednick, a sleep researcher at University of California-Irvine.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 like putting yourself into low-power mode just for a little bit and letting your body recuperate,香蕉视频直播� said Mednick, author of 香蕉视频直播淭ake a Nap! Change Your Life.香蕉视频直播�

Her research has found that naps work better than caffeine and a placebo to improve cognitive functioning. In fact, that afternoon cup of coffee is the least effective of all three.

香蕉视频直播淲e showed better effects with the placebo on performance than with the caffeine,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淪o if you think you香蕉视频直播檙e getting caffeine, you香蕉视频直播檙e going to perform better than if you actually get caffeine.香蕉视频直播�

How to start

Find a quiet, dark and cool space and set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes, which is a good starting point until you see how your body adjusts.

Even if you feel like you haven香蕉视频直播檛 slept, you still get benefits, Mednick said. People don香蕉视频直播檛 feel like they are asleep until they have reached deeper, slow-wave sleep in stage three.

香蕉视频直播淵our brain is still alerting you to the world around you when you香蕉视频直播檙e in stage-two sleep,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淏ut that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 necessarily mean that you香蕉视频直播檙e not getting the benefits of sleep.香蕉视频直播�

Experts say short naps , as long as they香蕉视频直播檙e not too late in the day. Aim for taking a nap around 6 or 7 hours after waking up, and try to nap at the same time every day.

Mednick recommended saving longer naps for the weekends, or when you have time to sleep a full 90 minutes. After about half an hour, you enter slow-wave sleep, which helps the body repair muscle tissue. REM, or rapid-eye movement, sleep comes at the end of the cycle; it香蕉视频直播檚 associated with fanciful dreams and helps process emotions.

The only people who should avoid napping are those who have trouble sleeping at night, Maas said. Senior citizens in particular should be vigilant because they tend to nap for too long during the day.

Don香蕉视频直播檛 like napping?

Mednick香蕉视频直播檚 research also has shown that napping is not for everyone. About half the people she has tested didn香蕉视频直播檛 get anything out of it.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檇 say to those people who really don香蕉视频直播檛 like to nap, 香蕉视频直播楲isten to your body.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��