by Ali-Asad
I've always liked the idea of napping; you can never get enough sleep I feel. Sara Mednick, sleep researcher and author of 'Take a Nap! Change Your Life
Sleep works in cycles, and there are 3: Stage 1/REM, Stage 2 and Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) ~ 7 minute mark
Nap studies show that a 60 min nap in the middle of the day includes only SWS and helps keep performance from declining throughout the day. 90 minute naps involve both SWS and REM and improves visual memory as much as a nights worth of sleep. Timing of the nap is crucial; we naturally get more REM in the mornings and, for morning wakers, SWS in the evenings/night. ~ 15 minute mark
The functions of the various sleep stages:
For stage 2 (which you'd get in a 20 min 'power nap') - increased alertness and improved motor memory.
For SWS - restorative, clears mind, helps spatial and declarative memory.
For Stage 1/REM - Helps creativity, perceptual skills, also responsible for vivid dreams. ~ 20 minute mark
A lot of people say that napping doesn't work for them. But Dr. Mednick insists that a midday nap of 20-30 minutes helps even if you don't think you've slept because you still get into a state of relaxation akin to sleeping; power napping does not involve passing out. ~ 36 minute mark
Sleep inertia - the feeling of being groggy after taking a nap. Solution: start with 10-15 min nap, and make sure to get out of bed. Napping more than 90 mins (1 full cycle) provides no extra benefit, and often results in sleep inertia. ~ 41 minute mark.
And that's jus' the tip.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
It's Time to Nap
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5 comments:
Did she do any research on the benefits of napping with Ali-asad?
She tried, but the female test subjects kept waking up shouting God's praise.
lol.
yoo, I finally got to hear dr. mednick's lecture. Very interesting stuff. Actually I felt the Q&A session was the best because people asked all of the questions that I was wondering about!
I don't know if i'll end up napping, maybe just the 20 min nap/relaxation period but I'll at least give it a try. Step 1, though is to regularize my sleep schedule for at least a week or so. It looks like she said the ideal schedule is about 11 to 7 so I'll do that first.
word, lots of good information.
Yeah, but knowing your situation, do you think 11 to 7 is realistic at all? I guess that's why I focus on the nap...or maybe it's just a question of discipline. 'We are all creatures of routine' as Dr. Mednick says. wrd.
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