This is how long your afternoon nap should be, according to science

We all have often wondered if the afternoon slump is a good thing or bad, simply because the post-meal siesta is often associated with laziness and boredom.

Well, it’s time to celebrate – as it is being considered cool again and this theory is backed by science.

Philip Gehrman, Ph. D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania said that afternoon sleep can not only help you get rid of the midday drowsiness but also improve your overall performance, creativity and mood. Researchers believe that it may even help boost your immunity and cut down your risk of cardiovascular disease.

However, not approaching it in the correct manner can jeopardize your night time sleep. Here we share tips on how you can snooze like a pro during the afternoon.

First up, a 15-30 minute quick nap can help you fight the drowsiness and raise alertness. But if you are feeling mentally clogged, it is best to take a 90-minute nap, remember not more than that. You ask why 90 minutes – well the reason is that it allows you to enter the deep sleep phase and then help you wake up alert. However, waking up in the middle of this cycle can make you will feel groggier, which can be harder to remove. This is why you sometimes wake up from an afternoon slumber feeling even more restless and sometimes with a mild headache too.

The researchers also argue that working out before bedtime may not be a good thing to do, simply because workouts stimulate your brain and make sleeping even more tough. A minimum of two-hour gap between your workout and bedtime is safe.

Staying consistent with the timing of the afternoon sleep is a good approach. It conditions your body such that it knows when it will temporarily shut down to recharge.

But please REMEMBER, if you don’t feel the need to nap during midday, don’t do it. Not everyone is an afternoon napper. In fact there have been studies that have established that almost 50 per cent people do not benefit from these naps. These people have, what is known as the monophasic circadian rhythm. It basically means that their body respond to the light-dark cycle and can’t just slumber whenever. Alternatively, it could also mean that your body is well rested and doesn’t need an afternoon snooze.