Napping comes with many benefits for your emotional and physical wellbeing. Getting your beauty sleep is linked to relaxation, improved mood, and reduced fatigue. Research even suggests naps are more effective in boosting your memory than other types of breaks. Improve your napping success by trying a few of these simple tips below to wake up feeling recharged and refreshed:
- Nap with a purpose and set your intentions. Decide what type of nap you want to take and how long it will be. If you nap with intent, you’re more likely to get the most out of your afternoon snooze. Check out some nap tips here.
- Set an alarm. If you nap without setting an alarm, you risk oversleeping and waking up feeling groggy. Set an alarm to keep yourself accountable, but make sure not to hit the snooze button.
- Keep your naps early in the day. Naps are different from regular nighttime sleep. If you’re napping too close to bedtime, you could negatively impact your sleep at night.
- Create a nap routine. The key to an efficient nap is being able to fall asleep fast. Make sure you’re creating the best environment for sleep to maximize your nap efficiency. Similar to your bedtime routine, you want to set the mood that it’s time to relax and snooze, even in the afternoon.
- Don’t make napping a daily occurrence. When possible, save naps for when you really need them. While naps are an excellent tool for relaxation and catching up on some zzzs, you shouldn’t need a nap daily to function. Consult your doctor for guidance if you’re worried about napping too much.
- Make post-nap plans. It’s tempting to stay in your PJs all day after a nap. Exciting plans are an excellent motivator for getting out of bed after a midday snooze. If you still want to nap but don’t have any evening plans to tempt you out of bed, try a wake-up meditation or go for a walk.
