Sleepology: The Beauty of Power Naps

By Walbert Castillo on September 25, 2014

With the amount of work college students face every single day, it’s no surprise they suffer from sleep-deprivation.

Looking back on those good ol’ preschool days, do you remember when you took frequent naps? For preschoolers, napping is critical because it assists their developing brain with consolidating newly learned information.

Although college students do not have as many carefree days as preschoolers do, finding the time to take a nap can lower risks for health problems, enhance memory and improve cognitive skills in the long run. These health problems range from obesity to diabetes as stated in an article from Greatist. Lethargy can ultimately interfere with students’ schedules in terms of work performance, relationships and grades.

Not only do students have to account for their academics but other factors such as extracurricular activities, exercise, financial situations, etc.

According to The California Aggie, a study done at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota stated that “70 percent of college students receive less than the eight recommended hours of sleep.” If you are a student that falls within that 70 percent range, the best way to combat fatigue is by taking a power nap.

An article from Greatist stated that “the ideal length for a power nap varies from person to person, but somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes is the general recommendation.”

Timothy Swan, a student studying mathematics and computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said that it’s been a while since he took power naps.

“But one thing I can tell you is I start getting drowsy right after lunch time,” Swan said. “However, back then when I used to take power naps, I would feel rejuvenated and continue with the second half of my day.”

Image via : www.psychologytoday.com

Power Nap Stages:

Stage 1 and 2 are considered to fall under the non-REM stages; power naps consist of the two combined. Beyond Stage 3, deep sleep is active.

One thing that you have to realize is that after stage 3, stage 2 is repeated several times before actually entering stage REM. An article from About.com said “on average, we enter the REM stage approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep.”

Stage 1 – Known to be the lightest stage in the sleep cycle. During this phase, the brain will produce high amplitude theta waves (slow brain waves). Usually this takes place within the first 5-10 minutes after you close your eyes. Also, a person can easily be awakened.

Stage 2 – During this stage, the brain creates sleep spindles, which are rapid bursts of rhythmic brain wave activity. Heart rate progressively slows down. On WebMD it was stated that “this is a period of light sleep during which polysomnographic readings show intermittent peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves.”

Additionally, body temperature decreases. The body is preparing itself to enter deep sleep (REM).

However, a person who passes the 20-minute mark will fall into the deeper stages of sleep (stages 3, 4 and 5) and may experience a phenomenon known as sleep inertia, which is also known as “sleep drunkenness.” A person waking up from sleep inertia can feel more tired and disoriented than he/she was once before.

In order to avoid this, it is advocated that a person should continue the full REM (Rapid Eye Movement) cycle and nap for 90 minutes instead. Depending on what time you wake up, the human body will experience exhaustion after 8 hours.

With that being said, the best time to nap would be between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Health stated that “power naps may boost your ability to process and store information tenfold.”

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Find a quiet place and keep yourself away from distractions. If you are going to set your alarm clock on your cellphone active, be sure to keep your mobile device on silent so your text messages and phone calls won’t bother you.

Tips for Power Napping

-Power naps only work best the moment you actually start sleeping so try to set your alarm clock in advance.

-If you are not around a bed, find a couch! However, if you find a hammock nearby on campus, call dibs on it quick, for it may be the answer to sleep slumber.

-WikiHow.com stated that as soon as your alarm clock goes off it’s best to “follow up with physical activity.” Just by doing jumping jacks or push-ups you’re not only waking up your brain but all of your bodily functions.

-Other than exercising right after you wake up, you can splash water on your face or go outside to expose yourself to a bright light.

-If you are faced with a huge homework assignment and are in need of extra energy, it’s suggested that you take a shot of espresso just before you get ready to nap. Since caffeine takes a while to travel through the system, once you wake up, you will definitely feel the extra kick.

However, in the long run a person shouldn’t follow through with this method all the time because “coffee affects the quality of sleep in general,” according to Nap Sounds.

Image via: www.intermediair.nl

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