Feeling tired because of an afternoon slump from your morning coffee or a big lunch? Well, if you’re setting up goals for the new year, you’ll need to maximize your productivity and not let an afternoon’s sleepiness get to you if you want to achieve these intentions!Â
Here’s how to start the new year off right without long naps getting in the way of your productivity or the goal you want to prioritize throughout your day-to-day life. Read more about why it’s important to get rid of these long naps and how to start taking power naps instead throughout the new year.
Why Your Afternoon (Over An Hour Long) Naps Could Be Harming YouÂ
The first side effect of long naps, ranging from anything over an hour, is the groggy feeling you get right after waking up. The longer you nap, the stronger these feelings of grogginess and tiredness will stay with you even after waking up. This is known as sleep inertia and can have serious consequences that could impact your nighttime sleep schedule.
Next, a study conducted by researchers found that napping for more than 30 minutes increased the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by 8-21%. The researchers explained that naps longer than 30 minutes can disturb nighttime sleep which leads to elevated levels of Interleukin (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and can increase risks of inflammation and obesity. Many other studies have contributed to the association between inflammation and obesity and the incidence of T2DM in patients.Â
Another study collecting data from over 360,000 participants allowed researchers to discover that people who napped most days were 12% more likely to develop high blood pressure over time and were 24% more likely to have a stroke compared with people who never napped.Â
Speaking from personal experience, when I go home between classes, I feel more tired and more prone to jump into bed to take a nap. However, when I spend a full day on campus, whether in class or at the library, I rarely feel as sleepy in the afternoon since I’m not near my bed. If I still end up feeling tired on campus, I’ll take a quick walk around campus or UCSB’s Lagoon, which is the perfect remedy for this afternoon slump.
Conquer the Afternoon Slump: Power Naps That Won’t Ruin Your Sleeping Routine at NightÂ
The first step to ensuring this is a power nap and doesn’t lead to an over-hour nap is to keep your naps between 20-30 minutes and have an alarm set for this time frame. One thing I’ve found successful is setting my timer on my phone and then setting it far away so I have to get out of bed to turn the alarm off. I’ve noticed that when I take naps, and my phone is on my bedside nightstand, I click snooze multiple times. However, if I have to get out of bed to turn off my alarm, I start getting ready for my next task since I’m already up, and there’s no point in trying to get comfy again in my bed.  Â
Next, aim to take your power nap in the early afternoon between 1pm and 3pm because this is when your body experiences its natural circadian dip from either your morning coffee or your lunchtime meal. Napping after 3pm can also make it harder to stay on track with your nighttime routine as it disturbs your body’s sleeping cycle.
Another important reminder is to make sure you’re limiting distractions while you take these power naps. Turning off your TV or not watching anything on your phone helps you get into the sleep flow sooner. However, if you’re living in Isla Vista, you might be hearing bands practicing during the day or college students blasting music, so to drown out this music, you can play some white noise of rain falling or beach waves on your phone.Â
Lastly, tracking your naps and how many hours you sleep at night is crucial to ensure you’re still hitting the optimal 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night required to stay productive.Â
All of your New Year goals are doable, especially if you keep your energy levels boosting throughout the day by not taking over-hour naps anymore and instead prioritizing power naps or coming up with other ideas to counteract the mid-afternoon slump, like taking a walk or mental break from work. Wake up, Gauchos, and get to work this new year!