It often seems there are only two ways to wake up from a nap: intensely energized and ready to take on the world or so groggy you wonder if you're in the same decade. And many people, despite facing a serious afternoon slump, fight the urge to nap because they know it'll make them feel worse.
Fortunately, you can have your nap and still take on the rest of your day like a champ. Experts have offered ways to ensure you get your well-needed rest and actually wake up feeling re-energized. Below, learn why you feel worse after a nap, how to beat that awful post-nap grogginess and when you should consider skipping the nap.
That familiar groggy feeling is called "sleep inertia," and it means that your brain wants to keep sleeping and complete a full sleep cycle. Sleep inertia results from waking abruptly out of deep sleep or slow wave sleep, which is the kind of sleep you start to fall into approximately 30 minutes into snoozing.
This is why experts recommend keeping naps to just 10 to 20 minutes, among other nap best practices. It's all about the sleep stages, which go as follows:
NREM Stage 1 lasts five to 10 minutes; NREM Stage 2 lasts 10 to 20 minutes; and then NREM Stage 3 sets in. During NREM Stage 3 sleep, your muscles relax more, your blood pressure and breathing rate decrease, and slow brain waves begin to emerge.
Pulling yourself out of this very deep sleep results in the characteristic grogginess and impaired performance of sleep inertia, which can last anywhere from mere minutes to hours.
Crankiness, or any form of a bad mood after a nap, isn't so much an aftereffect of its own, but another side effect of sleep inertia. No one enjoys being snatched out of a good snooze, and the loud beeps from an alarm interrupting deep sleep is enough to ruin anyone's mood.
If you try to avoid naps at all costs because you seem to always wake up confused or angry at the whole world, you should know that you can avoid those unpleasant aftereffects. Here are four tips for waking up from all naps feeling refreshed, not drained:
A good nap is all about timing. Dr. Dawn Dore-Stites, an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Sleep Disorder Center at Michigan Medicine and Reverie sleep advisory board member, told CNET that the longer the nap, the more problems it typically creates.
"The longer you sleep, the higher the chance you get into deeper stages of sleep," Dore-Stites says. "Waking from those stages can lead to the grogginess and irritability. Limiting naps to 20 minutes is key. You will often wake up feeling more refreshed."
The exception is if you have enough time to nap for an entire sleep cycle, which lasts approximately 90 to 120 minutes.
However, unless you're super in-tune with your sleep cycle and can pinpoint the exact time you need to wake up, you're better waking up before you ever reach deep sleep.
Additionally, you should try to nap as early in the afternoon as possible. Napping close to your bedtime can confuse your body and make you feel groggy for the remainder of the evening, especially if daylight is already waning when you wake up from your nap.
It can be super tempting to hit snooze or spend a few minutes scrolling on your cell phone, but fight the urge. Remaining in bed in that sort of half-asleep, super drowsy state can make post-nap grogginess more intense or extend for a longer period of time.
And when you do get out of bed, expose yourself to natural daylight by opening curtains or blinds to make sure your body knows it isn't bedtime and there are still things to be done.
Do something energizing after your napIf natural daylight isn't enough to spark your system, try one of these tactics for a stronger wake-up call:
Research shows that washing your face and getting some sunlight can combat post-nap grogginess, as can listening to music. Light exercise, such as stretching and walking, as well as intense workouts can boost energy and mood, which can fend off afternoon slumps.
Yep, that's a thing. A "coffee nap" refers to guzzling some caffeine right before your nap. If everything works out, you'll wake up feeling extra refreshed and energized because the effects of caffeine peak around 30-60 minutes after consumption, which is shortly after you should wake up from a nap.
If you drink coffee too long before you plan to nap, however, you risk losing your opportunity for a nap if the caffeine sets in and keeps you awake.
So like tip number one, coffee naps come down to the timing.
Dore-Stites says that napping isn't always the answer, even if you feel like you can't keep your eyes open in the afternoon.
If you are actually sleep-deprived at night, a short nap may help you sustain your energy through the day, Dore-Stites says. But on the other hand, taking naps when you aren't sleep-deprived can affect your ability to fall asleep, leading to shorter sleep duration at night.
"Overall, it is better to have one good long period of sleep at night than sleeping in 'pockets' through the day and night," Dore-Stites told CNET. "Such sleep patterns often lead to more feelings of fatigue and low energy."
If you have insomnia or you struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep most nights, you may want to avoid naps for the most part. If you generally sleep well at night, Dore-Stites says it's best to only nap when you really need it, or you might end up in a vicious cycle of unusual sleep cycles and sleep inertia, and thus the grogginess you're trying to avoid.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Ever laid down for a quick 45-minute nap, only to wake up hours later wondering what day it is? Your body feels heavy, your brain is fuzzy, and you’re feeling anything but refreshed.
We’re always hearing that naps are a great way to recharge — so what gives?
It’s all about how you nap.
It’s true that naps are generally good for you when done right (more on that in a second), but when you sleep too long or too late, they can cause trouble.
One big culprit? Sleep inertia.
“Sleep inertia is when the brain wants to keep sleeping and complete a full sleep cycle,” says Cynthia Bodkin, MD, Sleep Medicine Physician at IU Health.
“How strong the sleep inertia is depends on how sleep-deprived one is.” Genetics can also make a difference in how hard you’re hit by sleep inertia.
Another issue for most people who grapple from grogginess is that they sleep longer than they should.
“The ideal length for napping typically is about 20 minutes,” says Alison Kole, MD, Director of Outpatient Sleep Services at Summit Medical Group. “Longer naps tend to leave people sleepier, in part because the further you go into a sleep cycle the more likely you are to hit deep sleep.”
If you just can’t shake the grogginess, try these tips to fine-tune your napping skills and start waking up refreshed and ready to go!
Many sleep experts recommend keeping your nap to just 20 minutes, though some suggest that a half hour is okay too.
“The idea about the so-called ‘power nap’ is to keep the sleep time down to about 20 to 30 minutes,” says Peter Fotinakes, MD, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at St.
Joseph Hospital. “The shorter sleep period makes it less likely that we enter deep sleep during the nap.”
Once you hit that deep sleep phase, you’re going to have a harder time waking up.
Hate to break it to you, but your midday snooze isn’t going to make up for anything if you only got four hours of sleep the night before. If anything, you’ll just have a harder time falling asleep when it’s time for bed, which will keep your sleep deprivation cycle going even longer.
“Too long of a nap will decrease sleep drive — sleep drive meaning that the longer you are awake during the day, the more likely you are to want to fall asleep at the end of the day,” Kole explains. “Basically, too much sleep during the day makes it harder to fall asleep at night.”
That mid-afternoon slump you feel most days is totally normal — and it’s also the most optimal time for a refreshing nap, especially compared to evening naps which can just sabotage our sleep schedule.
“We all enter a natural down period after lunch for about an hour when we should be taking a nap,” Fotinakes says.
“We don’t [take afternoon naps] in our culture, but it is common in other countries and maybe a healthier way of living.”
That’s right: you hereby have permission to take a regular siesta. “All in all, naps can be a healthy part of your life, but shorter naps in the afternoon may be the best approach.”
Naps are one of the finer joys in life, so maybe you’ve never even considered whether you actually need to take one in the first place. If you lay down for a short snooze and can’t seem to fall asleep, you don’t need the doze in the first place.
“If you are not sleep deprived, then you would not need a nap,” Bodkin says. “If you can’t fall asleep in twenty minutes, you do not need the nap.”
If you’ve tried it all and just can’t seem to wake up from naps without feeling groggy, it might not be your thing. Some people just don’t mesh well with napping.
“Napping may not be good for everyone,” Kole says. “For some, any nap may result in difficulty with sleeping at night.
Some may find that napping makes them more tired when they wake up… there are individual differences.”
We don’t know why this happens, but it’s a reality. “Research suggests there may be differences in body temperature and sensitivity to non-circadian rhythm influences.”
So, ready for your siesta? Kick back, set that alarm, and doze — but not for too long!
Claire Hannum is a NYC-based writer, editor, and traveler.
June 29, 2021 Health
After a good night's sleep, one should be cheerful, fresh and cheerful. Often, instead, we wake up with a bad mood and irritability. There is an explanation for this.
We spend the last few hours before waking up in REM sleep. This phase is characterized by increased brain activity. The most noticeable sign is the rapid movements of the eyeballs.
The cycles of REM and NREM sleep are repeated 4-5 times per night. It is during REM sleep that we see vivid dreams. nine0003
In this phase, the brain consumes an impressive amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is the source and carrier of energy in cells. Adenosine suppresses vigor and attentiveness and stimulates sleep, which is why we wake up sleepy.
The state after waking up is also affected by whether you slept with someone next to you or not. For example, women who share a bed with a man report a decrease in the quality of their sleep. But if sleep is preceded by sex, the woman's mood improves, she is tolerant of mediocre sleep and morning fatigue. nine0003
The presence of a woman in bed has no effect on a man's sleep. On the contrary, men notice a decrease in the quality of sleep when they spend the night alone.
Owls, who prefer to sleep and wake up later, are alert during the day and in the evening.
But for those who like to go to bed late at night, the quality of sleep suffers and insomnia is more common.
Nighttime wakefulness affects the hippocampus, which is responsible for emotions, memory and attention, and may even contribute to its reduction in volume, which leads to reduced learning and memory loss, and may also be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease. nine0003
What we eat before bed also affects our well-being. Recent studies have shown that eating sweets before bed can improve mood in the morning. An increase in blood sugar levels affects the activity of the neurons responsible for sleep. For the same reasons, after a plentiful dinner, he tends to sleep.
Scientists still don't know why we sleep. But they know for sure that we need at least 7 hours of sleep every day. Lack of sleep leads to irritation and activates bad memories and negative emotions. Emotional instability is a consequence of the inability of the anterior lobes of the brain to control the limbic system.
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Sleep disturbance also affects memory, and severe insomnia can lead to various illnesses and mental disorders. During sleep, scientists believe, the brain gets rid of a harmful protein that, when accumulated, may contribute to the development of senile dementia. If you haven't had enough sleep, drop everything and take a nap right now!
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Spleen, apathy, depression - that's what many people call it.
Asthenic syndrome - doctors call it.
What is it? There is such a simple life hack: if symptoms of weakness and lethargy appear right in the morning, then you need to ask yourself when do you feel better in the morning or in the evening? If in the morning, then everything is ok. The second option If an asthenic condition has already arisen, then, of course, we will not achieve the desired effect by changing the diet alone. You definitely need vitamin supplements. nine0003 Consultation with specialist is required for selection. 
If in the evening? For example, you went to bed on time, and it’s very difficult to get up in the morning, you have to persuade yourself for a long, long time, while there may be sleep disturbances, you get up as if you didn’t rest, you feel overwhelmed in the morning and this lasts for a long time, then, of course, you need to suspect depression . And here the help of a specialist may be required, very often this condition is a mask of some kind of chronic disease. 9 should work here0058 is not just a psychologist, but a good practitioner who can see the condition that is masked by depression. 
A hormonal examination will allow you to dot the “and” and make adjustments. nine0062 The third option should include moments of depression and asthenia that occur after past illnesses. When the body struggled with something, it used up resources and is now exhausted. The end of winter-spring is a period when we often get sick, and the energy reserves in the body are replenished slowly, also because the products that we can find this season are depleted in vitamins and microelements that are necessary for energy processes.
Vitamins themselves are not a source of energy, but they activate numerous metabolic processes. Thanks to vitamins, food is properly digested and gives us strength.
The metabolism works exactly the way it is supposed to work. The activity of hormonal glands, the cardiovascular, nervous system is regulated, they are involved in hematopoiesis. Vitamins are involved in all body processes, so the deficiency of each affects the deterioration of well-being. nine0054
So, vitamins and microelements - activators of energy processes: C, B1, H (biotin), folic acid, vitamin D, Copper, Chromium, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Iodine.
Let's see why and what vitamins we need. Why is it necessary in the spring, even if we eat right and include a lot of green and fresh foods in the diet. First of all, of course, vitamin C . He is responsible for immunity, for vitality, for a good mood. Increases the body's resistance to disease. Participates in the exchange of norepinephrine - this is the hormone of courage, thanks to which we kind of internally gather, mobilize, begin to think more clearly, make decisions faster and be effective.
Effectively deal with stress. nine0003
The second most important vitamin in this respect is vitamin B1 . It helps the regeneration of the nervous system, which affects the emotional state. Participates in the Kreps cycle, this is the main energy station in the body, so it is essential.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin, Vitamin H, Coenzyme R) controls the absorption of nutrients and their conversion into energy. Eliminates the feeling of eternal fatigue even with prolonged exertion, relieves sleep problems and, along with thiamine, determines the human ability to concentrate and mental work. nine0003
B9 (folic acid), like vitamin C, promotes the production of norepinephrine, protects against stress, awakens optimism and gives us energy. Including sexy!
Vitamin D orchestrates blood flow. How well he copes with his task depends on whether the cells are fully supplied with oxygen and cleared of decay products in a timely manner, as well as how quickly we can restore our strength after rest.
No less than vitamins, we need minerals:
Copper , the presence of which in the body directly affects metabolism, is involved in the formation of norepinephrine and serotonin.
Iron together with vitamin D is responsible for delivering oxygen to cells.
Selenium strengthens the nervous system and performs many other functions.
Potassium , the lack of which results in muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances. In order to avoid potassium deficiency, first of all, it is worth giving up fast food, which contains monosodium glutamate and salts, which are potassium antagonists. nine0003
Iodine saves us from chronic fatigue, shattered immunity and mental decline.
Chromium affects the functioning of the brain and the activity of the nervous system.
Magnesium is the "main power engineer" of cells, participates in more than 300 biochemical reactions and metabolic processes and along the way provides us with healthy sleep.
Its deficiency is expressed in a feeling of permanent fatigue, lethargy and dizziness. nine0003
In addition, we want to say that iron and iodine deficiency also causes a state of apathy and lethargy. Their prescription is recommended by doctors because there are certain restrictions.
If you take vitamins, eat well and properly, but nevertheless you are still covered in spring. There is an even more advanced level, we can test the genetics of vitamin metabolism . This is a simple and quick test, it is cheaper than constantly testing vitamin levels. nine0160 In genetics and metabolism of vitamins, there can be persistent vitamin-deficiency states, even despite taking medications. There may be features associated with the exchange of vitamins, genetic features in which a person needs higher adjustments than others. Vitamins are coenzymes of many metabolic processes. They are involved in the synthesis of substances-accelerators of metabolic processes.
Without them, they are not produced; without them, genomic material cannot be read. We have certain genes that encode all metabolic processes, the synthesis of regulatory proteins, enzymes that ensure the regulation of all metabolic processes. Information from genes may or may not be read due to the fact that there is a deficiency of certain vitamins in the body at the moment. Activation and synthesis of hormones may not occur due to the lack of certain vitamins, there is no reading of genomic material that encode information about the activity of hormones, for example. Therefore, vitamin deficiency is the first thing to be eliminated. nine0160 This study opens the veil of chronic conditions: persistent anemia, persistent chronic fatigue syndromes, digestive disorders. Gives simple answers to what needs to be monitored, and correct only what is a stumbling block for each individual person. We would like our readers and patients to know that on a highly scientific level we can give a simple understanding of the processes, a simple answer to this question.
