When you find yourself yawning your way through the afternoon slump, what do you do? While a lot of us reach for yet another cup of caffeine, some folks swear by a simple, old school remedy - a nap. But to make the most of it, there are some rules you’ll want to follow.
Most importantly? The time you take that midday rest matters. “Nap o’clock,” or the ideal time for the afternoon snooze, starts at 1:42 p.m., according to a new survey. And it finds that the “perfect” nap should last 51 minutes, so the wake up time is 2:33 p.m.
The survey of 2-thousand U.S. adults reveals more details about what makes the perfect nap:
- If people sleep 35 minutes longer than those 51 minutes - taking a nap that lasts an hour and 26 minutes or longer - that’s the “danger zone” where the sleep does more harm than good.
- And if it lasts an hour and 44 minutes longer than that “perfect” length of 51 minutes, it’s not even considered a nap anymore, it’s officially a full sleep session.
- For the ideal nap environment, 44% prefer some kind of noise, like having the TV (47%) or a white noise machine (7%) on in the background.
- Location matters, too, as 53% like napping in their bed, while 38% nap better on their couch.
- More than half (55%) of all nappers say they immediately feel a boost of productivity when they wake up.
- Nappers are more likely to say they have a “thriving” social life (48%) than non-nappers (34%).
- They’re also more likely to say the same about their love lives (50% compared to 39%).
- And since respondents only feel well-rested for half of an average week, maybe more of us should try napping.
Source: Talker