You can gain benefits from snoozing as little as five minutes or as much as two hours. Research shows you stand to get the most out of a midday snooze if you can go through a full cycle of sleep, including slow-wave or "deep" sleep. This can take about 90 minutes. Research shows that taking a 20-minute nap about eight hours after you wake can do more for you than sleeping another 20 minutes in the morning.
Feel the urge to nap? Giving in to it can help you feel revived and more productive at work, on the road, or at home. It's an open-and-shut-eye case. Here are some tips:
Silence, please. Find a napping place free from phones, loud noises, or disruptive people.
Safety first. Nap in a safe place. If you choose to snooze in a car or in a parking garage, lock your doors or identify a napping partner who can watch out for you.
Early to rise. Avoid napping past 3 p.m. so that it won't interfere with a good night's sleep. It's best to nap according to your circadian rhythm (the body's natural 24-hour cycle), which for most of us means snoozing in late morning or early afternoon.
Waking life. Once your nap is over, take a quick walk in the sunlight if possible to reset your circadian clock.
