Most people assume that napping will assist individuals who experience tiredness throughout the day. Yet in reality, napping comes alongside its own set of risks, and the practice may not be as helpful as people believe it to be.
Primary benefits include enhanced cognition, which improves short term memory, improved mood, which reduces irritability, and decreased stress, therefore lowering stress hormones. Primary risks of napping are associated with sleep inertia which is a type of grogginess and disorientation, reduction of drive for sleep, and health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and depression.
If you find yourself always in need of a nap, this isn’t normal and can be a sign of a problem. Persistent excessive daytime sleepiness often indicates that you are not getting enough sleep at night, which can be a sign of conditions like sleep apnea or insomnia. Frequent napping can also be a sign of depression, anxiety or high stress.
Junior Kaitlin Villano said “I think they aren’t beneficial for all people because some people can’t go to sleep at night and get the sleep they need, and they also feel worse after napping than before.”
To avoid these naptime risks, try to aim for power naps that last 15 to 30 minutes, this maintains you in the lighter stage of sleep, making you feel more refreshed when you awake. Attempt to take a nap in the window of 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in order to avoid potential sleep difficulty when you go to sleep later in the evening. Furthermore, set an alarm to remind yourself to wake up shortly after falling asleep in order to not overnap
Senior Nathan Thompson said, “[Napping] can ruin your schedule and could delay any activities or things needed to be done. It can also help because you need sleep to thrive, so if you lack so much to the point where you need a nap, it could benefit your energy. It all depends on the schedule and routine of someone’s day to determine if a nap is good or not.”
Naps can provide benefits but they can also pose risks to the napper, so it’s important to take your plans, health and sleep habits into consideration when determining how much sleep to have. Naps are both beneficial and risky depending on the precautions an individual is taking regarding nap time and how many naps they are taking.
