A sudden wave of sluggishness often affects many people during the afternoon. No amount of yawning can prevent one from feeling drowsy. Many factors contribute to the mid-afternoon slump in which people feel less alert, focused, and active. One of these reasons is sitting for too long. The body usually associates stagnation with sleeping. Another factor that contributes to sleepiness is dehydration. With a loss of water, the body will feel heavy, tired, and unable to function. Furthermore, one will become sleepy due to his or her body temperature dropping. After lunch, between 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the core body temperature’s drop causes melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep, to be released.

For those who want to relieve the lethargic symptoms most people choose to take a nap to relieve their lethargic symptoms. However, if napping is not done properly, people can feel even more tired after waking up. Learning the benefits and ways to get the most out of napping can turn the seemingly unproductive activity into a useful one.

One benefit of naps is that they improve one’s alertness and motor functions. Naps can recharge one to feel energized and able to finish all tasks efficiently. The length of the nap one takes is important too, however. A stage two nap, otherwise known as a power nap, is critical for one to gain energy. It lasts for 20 minutes before deep sleep takes over. If one sleeps for about 20 to 90 minutes, he or she will enter deep sleep. After waking up from a deep sleep, one will experience sleep inertia. This is the state that most people have experienced in which one feels even sleepier than before his or her nap. Despite this, taking longer naps have been proven to enable one to be more creative while solving problems and make new connections in his or her brain.

Napping can also help one improve his or her mood. If one doesn’t sleep enough during the night, irritability can arise. Instead of being moody during the afternoon and trying to stay awake with caffeine, one can take a nap to ease his or her crankiness.

Taking a nap can also reduce stress, which is very common in present-day. Too much stress can result in a strain on one’s physical state and possibly cause illnesses such as heart disease. To prevent this, one should nap in the mid-afternoon, with the optimal time being between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m..

In conclusion, napping can and should be done by everyone. Not only do naps help one’s mind rejuvenate, they can also restore one’s physical health. With these tips, one should try taking naps routinely to get the most out of their benefits.