Get Your Nap On,
Protect Your Brain

From the Editors of YogaLife

Naps aren’t just for toddlers. Studies show that adults can also benefit from siesta time. How does napping work its magic? “It may protect brain circuits from overuse until those neurons can consolidate what's been learned about a procedure,” says Robert Stickgold, Ph.D., coauthor of a recent Harvard University sleep study.

The proof? When adults napped between 2 and 4 p.m., one recent study showed, they performed better on tests and had no problems falling asleep at night. NASA found that military pilots and astronauts who took a 40-minute nap improved alertness by 100 percent and performance by 34 percent. Harvard University research also revealed that college students who napped between tasks performed better than those who stayed awake.

Unless you know the correct way to conduct a daytime doze, however, you could snooze and lose. “Napping can steal the drive for nighttime sleep, so you need to be cautious,” says David Neubauer, M.D., associate director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center.

The rules:

• Nap during daylight hours.
• Nap at least five hours before you plan on going to sleep that night (between 2 and 4 p.m. is prime).
• Keep your naps to less than an hour; 20 to 30 minutes is enough for most people to get the benefits.
• Shutting your eyes in your office chair for 20 minutes will relax and refresh you.
• Stay out of the sack—likely not a problem at the office—since you associate your bed with long periods of rest.
• At home or at work, you’ll find that, just like in kindergarten, after a nice restorative nap, you’ll play much better with others.

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