Here's a useful set from the Boston Globe.
- If you're a morning person, the best time to nap is around 1 or 1:30PM. If you're a night owl, nap later, around 2:30 or 3PM.
- The best naps are under 45 mins or 90-120 mins. Anything in between is likely to give you that groggy feeling.
- Naps don't mean you're lazy: A NASA study showed that in-flight naps improved subsequent performance by 34% and overall alertness by 54%.
- To make sure you're productive after your nap drink a cup of coffee right before laying down. Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in.
- No nap is too short: A 2008 study showed that even a nap of a few minutes provided benefits. Just anticipating a nap lowers blood pressure.
Keep in mind that 10 minutes is the best nap length.
Naps are not for the lazy, they're for the productive:
- Naps increase alertness and performance on the job.
- They enhance learning ability.
Across the board, sleep is vital:
- Being tired actually makes it harder to be happy.
- Lack of sleep = more likely to get sick.
- "Sleeping on it" does improve decision making.
- Lack of sleep can make you more likely to behave unethically.
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