Wellness
No more accidental two-hour naps.
When I nap, I nap hard.
This is calledsleep inertia and its a real drag.
Here are all thebenefits of the 26-minute NASA nap, including how to take one.
Quickie naps also take the edge off that mid-afternoon sleepiness that makes your eyelids feel heavy.
You know, that awful fatigue thats untouched by extra cups of coffee.
According to Sleep.com, these NASA naps arent meant toreplace lost sleep.
Youre still supposed to get eight or more hours of rest per night.
I first tested it out one weekday afternoon when I was feeling particularly tired and unfocused.
I figured Id just rest my eyes for a few minutes, but I soon felt myself falling asleep.
Before I knew it the alarm was going off and the 26 minutes had passed.
Even though it was short, the NASA nap seemed to give me a new lease on life.
The world was suddenly sparkly and beautiful again and I even had enough energy to tackle my emails.
Like thedisco napsof yesteryear, NASA naps have become my new favorite way to reenergize before a night out.
Studies referenced:
Dutheil, F. (2021.
)Effects of a Short Daytime Nap on the Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Int J Environ Res Public Health.
Hayashi, M. (1999.
)The effects of a 20 min nap in the mid-afternoon on mood, performance and EEG activity.
doi: 10.1016/s1388-2457(98)00003-0.
Rosekind, MR. (1995.
)Alertness management: strategic naps in operational prefs.
Tassi, P. (2000.
2000 Aug;4(4):341-353. doi: 10.1053/smrv.2000.0098.
This article was originally published onAug.
