College students are notorious for skipping out on sleep. Naps are a great way to negate the effects of the occasional late-night. Getting in a few extra minutes of sleep might make all the difference to your day, especially since naps are shown to boost alertness and productivity. Personally, I’ve found that I have an easier time focusing after a good nap, and that they are a great way to practice self-care and treat yourself with love. Here’s how to nap better:
1. Take a 10-minute nap.
Studies have shown that naps between 10 to 30 minutes maximize the benefits of napping. Any longer than 30 minutes and you may end up with some sleep inertia which is that groggy feeling you have right after waking up.
2. Have some caffeine right before your nap.
Since caffeine takes around 10 minutes to kick in, it can be a great way to wake up from your nap easier.
3. Try to nap consistently.
I’ve found that I wake up easier from a nap when I take naps of the same amount of time regularly. Another way to use consistency to your advantage is by taking naps at the same time of day. One downside to this is that if you end up skipping your nap, then you may end up more tired than usual.
4. Don’t nap in the evening.
Napping in the evening can interfere with your nighttime sleep. This can leave you depleted the next-day and spiral quickly into a problem.
5. Use earplugs and an eye mask.
These revolutionized the way I sleep. One of the cues your body uses for sleep is darkness, an eye mask is a great way to synthesize this. College living can be noisy so I use earplugs to tune out the world and get myself into a place where I can fully rest.
Finding how you nap best can take some trial and error, but I promise its worth it. Now go get some beauty rest!
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