ditto for power naps...but not too long or the body starts waking up midway through the night and you're tired again.

I did in college because my schedule some days would be a little off. Some nights I would be at my second job until about 1 and have to be up for work or class at 8 the next morning. In those instances, I would catch some sleep.

Now though I hardly ever do, unless I'm sick.

Most of the time I feel the same after a daytime nap although it always causes me to stay up later at night.

Re: Sleeping in the middle of the day
 

I nap most days. Stay at home mom...I am up usually very late...as the focus of my energies are getting spawnlings off to school and then in the afternoon with afterschool stuff, homework and evening activities. I frequently don't go to bed until late (time with the night-owl spousal unit)...so I NEED my naps in the late morning ;)!

I used to think any nap shorter than 3-4 hours was just a tease. That was back in my freshman high school when I was getting up at 4:30AM to be at school by 6:40AM for class & then staying after school until 4PM every day. I'd go straight home, sleep from 4:30-8:30, get up, have dinner, & go right back to bed. If I actually took my nap in my bed as opposed to the couch then I'd often just sleep through the night.
Now I've got the whole nap thing under control. If I ever take one during the workweek I sleep (at most) from 20-45 minutes. Its perfect because I don't feel groggy when I wake up & my mind & body actually benefit from the nap.

Same for me. I LOVE naps...sometimes when I get tired, its really all I can think about...but I can only take one if I have a few hours to allot to trying to get to sleep and then actually sleeping.

Let's just say that when I take a nap, I USUALLY try to sleep for only 45 minutes to an hour. Last night I slept from 5:30-7:30. I felt like sh*t when I woke up. I guess my body needed the sleep, but all I did was wake up, eat, shower and go right back to sleep.

Oh, and I slept thru my alarm this morning. Maybe I am coming down with something??

I love the luxury of an afternoon nap...since it can happen so rarely. But I agree that you need to watch how long you sleep. If it's over a half hour, I wake up pretty groggy.

Today, I took a nap (for the first time in a long time) when I got back from work at 5:30...for like two hours, and I felt better...until like 1 am...I started getting groggy and slow...the worst part is..I cant go to sleep now (It's like 3:30 am). I got so much shit to do tomorrow :(


In the weekend, I never take naps..I just sleep in when I can.

I come from a long, proud line of nappers. Everyone on my mom's side naps. My sister and I nap when we can. When I worked a 9-5 job, I'd work all day, come home, nap till about 7 or 7:30, get up, eat dinner and watch TV or read till about 2 am and go to bed.

I nap in 15 minute intervals: meaning, I'll always nap for 15 mins, 30 mins, 45 mins, 60 mins, 75 mins, etc..

I sleep in 90 minute intervals; 90 mins, 180 mins, etc.

If I wake up in any part of the sleep cycle other than the interval part - I feel like crap. If I wake up on the cycle, I'm like a new man.

I read an article right before I got to college about the proper length of time to nap. I can't find it now.

Anyways, the key to not feeling groggy is only nap for about 40 - 45 minutes...you'll stay out of a REM cycle or a deep sleep cycle or something if you do that. Waking up during those periods of sleep throws your body off, and so youre all sluggish and hazed. I've found this to be pretty true, and a short nap is awesome. My roommates make fun of me b/c I set my alarm for a nap.

The article said that Einstein used to nap in a chair with a spoon in his hand and a plate below his hand. Once he got to his (again I don't remember which) REM or Deep sleep cycle, he'd drop the spoon, which would hit the plate, making a loud enough noise to wake him up.

I have no idea if this is all really true, but from personal experience short naps are really helpful for me.