Staying healthy (23)
- Secondhand smoke: Avoid dangers in the air
- Vaccines for adults: Which do you need?
- Medical history: Compiling your medical family tree
- see all in Staying healthy
Dental care (7)
- Oral health: Brush up on dental care basics
- Oral health: A window to your overall health
- Calcium and calcium supplements: Achieving the right balance
- see all in Dental care
Skin care (16)
- Skin care: 5 tips for healthy skin
- Tattoos: Understand risks and precautions
- Piercings: How to prevent complications
- see all in Skin care
Nail care (1)
- Fingernails: Do's and don'ts for healthy nails
Eye care (9)
- Eye injury: Tips to protect vision
- Contact lenses: What to know before you buy
- LASIK eye surgery
- see all in Eye care
Sleep (7)
- Sleep aids: Understand over-the-counter options
- Sleep tips: 7 steps to better sleep
- Napping: Do's and don'ts for healthy adults
- see all in Sleep
Mental health (11)
- Empty nest syndrome: Tips for coping
- Anger management: 10 tips to tame your temper
- Denial: When it helps, when it hurts
- see all in Mental health
Healthy relationships (9)
- Infidelity: Mending your marriage after an affair
- Domestic violence against men: Know the signs
- Domestic violence against women: Recognize patterns, seek help
- see all in Healthy relationships
Healthy at work (12)
- Back pain at work: Preventing pain and injury
- Job burnout: Spotting it — and taking action
- Job satisfaction: How to make work more rewarding
- see all in Healthy at work
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Napping: Do's and don'ts for healthy adults
When should I consider a nap?
You might consider making time for a nap if you:
- Experience new fatigue or unexpected sleepiness
- Are about to experience sleep loss, for example, due to a long work shift
- Want to make planned naps part of your daily routine
What's the best way to take a nap?
To get the most out of a nap, follow these simple tips:
- Keep naps short. Aim to nap for only 10 to 30 minutes. The longer you nap, the more likely you are to feel groggy afterward.
- Take naps in the afternoon. The best time for a nap is usually midafternoon, around 2 or 3 p.m. This is the time of day when you may experience post-lunch sleepiness or a lower level of alertness. In addition, naps taken during this time are less likely to interfere with nighttime sleep. Keep in mind, however, that individual factors — such as your need for sleep and your sleeping schedule — can also play a role in determining the best time of day to nap.
- Create a restful environment. Nap in a quiet, dark place with a comfortable room temperature and few distractions.
After napping, be sure to give yourself time to wake up before resuming activities — particularly those that require a quick or sharp response.
Previous page(2 of 2)
References
- Dhand R, et al. Good sleep, bad sleep! The role of daytime naps in healthy adults. Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine. 2006;12:379.
- Lau H, et al. Daytime napping: Effects on human direct associative and relational memory. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 2010;93:554.
- Sleep deprivation. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/FactSheets/SleepDeprivation.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2010.
- Takahashi M. The role of prescribed napping in sleep medicine. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2003;7:227.
- Milner CE, et al. Benefits of napping in healthy adults: Impact of nap length, time of day, age, and experience with napping. Journal of Sleep Research. 2009;18:272.
- Goldman SE, et al. Association between nighttime sleep and napping in older adults. Sleep. 2008;31:733.
- Takahashi PY (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 22, 2010.
- Morgenthaler TI (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 23, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on