Midday Nap: The Perfect Duration for Increased Performance

Those who have the possibility of power-napping should do so. After all, a short nap makes your brain powerful again. How long should the nap last?

A short nap is quite enough

To give your brain a fresh start on dull days, nothing is better than a nap. But how long should that actually take to get the most out of it? As experts have stated in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the optimal nap lasts between 15 and 20 minutes. After this time you should start the day with renewed energy and stability. In concrete terms: After a power-napping you should have energy for the next three to four hours.

If the sleep lasts 25 to 45 minutes, you will feel completely exhausted, as the body has already entered the deep sleep phase. Nevertheless, a 45-minute nap can also have good effects on your body, such as increasing sensory processing and creative thinking. A nap of about 60 minutes is good for jogging your memory. If you manage to sleep for 90 minutes, you will have no problems waking up, as one sleep phase lasts exactly 1.5 hours. After this period we are not crushed, but fit and rested.

A nap: Good for your health

There are dozens of studies that show that power napping has a positive effct on our health. For example, a Greek study has shown that adults who take a nap three times a week have a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease. Other positive effects of taking naps: it reduces our stress and thus also the risk of a stroke, diabetes or excessive weight gain.