Nasa study how long is the ideal nap

Unless you have 90 minutes or more to devote to making up for last night's lost shuteye, avoid spending more than a half hour asleep or your body will enter the deeper phases of sleep, making it harder to wake up and leaving you groggier longer once you do. In fact, even 26 minutes might be too long if you need to spring straight into action with a clear mind upon waking.

NASA's ultimate recommendation is power naps between 10 and 20 minutes long. And don't stress if you're one of those people who struggle to fall asleep the instant their head hits the pillow. As Elemental has reported, research shows that simply resting quietly with your eyes closed for a similar period of time will recharge you too. Even better, if you know about these benefits, you're less likely to keep yourself awake worrying about your ability to sleep when you try to nap.

So next time you're tired at work, sleep or at least try to. If your body enters a deep sleep, trying to wake after only an hour or so can be very unpleasant, and you might remain groggy for some time afterward. This is called "sleep inertia. Why do naps sometimes backfire? Researchers don't yet know the physical causes of sleep inertia, but they would like to be able to predict, at least, when it's going to strike.

This could help doctors prescribe naps of the right time and duration for drowsy people in high-risk professions. To measure how effective the naps were, the scientists gave the volunteers a battery of tests probing memory, alertness, response time, and other cognitive skills throughout the experiment. They also measured things like core body temperature and hormone levels in blood and saliva, all of which fluctuate in a natural daily cycle known as a person's "biological clock.

In general, they found, longer naps were better. No surprise there. But they also found that some cognitive functions benefited more from napping than others:. Above: Shuttle pilots need to be mentally sharp to operate controls like these. A poor working memory could result in errors. For vigilance and alertness, which involve the ability to maintain sustained attention and to notice important details, they found that the total amount of sleep during 24 hours remained the most important factor.

Link to Twitter User. Link to Pinterest Page. Link to LinkedIn Page. Power napping has been shown to boost productivity, energy, and performance in all types of people, even NASA astronauts.

Below, we explain how. Photo Credit: Unsplash. How Long Is a Power Nap? Aim to take your power nap midday, because if you nap later than 3 p. Eliminate distractions. Try to find a quiet room with less opportunity to overhear chatter, turn off your computer and lights, and silence your notifications.

Sam Negrin is a writer, producer, and creative director who believes everyone should have the chance to feel their very best. She is a certified nutritionist, yoga teacher, and self-proclaimed wellness expert that thrives on helping people find their own path to optimal physical and mental health.

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