Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Carolyn on 28/03/2008 02:31:06

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: Carolyn on 28/03/2008 02:31:06

Today one of my friends called and asked me to call her back in 15 minutes to wake her up.  Her alarm clock was broken and she said she was exhausted and needed a quick 'power nap' before she picked her kids up from school.

She takes them all the time and claims they are a 'life saver'.  I also know others who do this and say the same thing.  I've never found them to be anything but exasperating!  I don't see the point...by the time I've fallen asleep it's time to wake up, and then I'm not only still tired but now I'm agitated and in a foul mood as well.

Are these short power naps really beneficial to anyone other than my weird friends? 

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: another_someone on 28/03/2008 04:06:23

It depends on the situation, but I certainly have had situations where I have been on a long drive, and stopped off on the side of the road for 20 minutes sleep (never got it down to 15 minutes).  In those cases, I do not find having someone wake me up at all beneficial, but I usually do not take more than 20 minutes sleep in the context (my own body knows it is not to expect an 8 hour sleep).

I have to say I used to find it more difficult to have short sleeps in my younger years.

But, no, 20 minutes sleep is not the same as a long night's sleep, but it is enough for me to keep going for another hour or two.

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: JnA on 28/03/2008 06:12:39

they say a full sleep cycle takes 45 mins.. based on that I would think that taking a 15 min 'sleep' would be no more benefit than simply stopping and resting for 15.

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: Onanist on 28/03/2008 15:24:53

i am now well into the 24 hours and no sleep stage.

i would kill for a fifteen minute nap, but i know it doesn't work that way, as once i fall asleep, i am impossible to wake up until i have gone through my full REM cycle, and i dont want to sleep from now until 1 in the morning.

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: Carolyn on 28/03/2008 15:27:51

Thank you George & JNA.  

I don't ever remember sleeping for 20 minutes or less where I woke up feeling refreshed.  Generally, if I'm woken up that soon I'm jumpy and in a foul mood for a good long time after.  Perhaps if I could wake up naturally it would be better, but I can't fathom waking up naturally after only a few minutes.

I agree with you JNA.  I think resting for 15 minutes is as beneficial, maybe more so.  If I'm just relaxing for a short time, maybe even closing my eyes, but not sleeping, at the very least I got a short break and I'm not mean when I return to my normal activities.

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: Seany on 28/03/2008 16:43:28

Ohhh.. There's this thing such as a power sleep or something. Like you get hours of sleep in a couple of minutes!!

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: Carol-A on 28/03/2008 17:44:40

If I'm really tired in the day, and decide to have a sleep, if I fall asleep, i will almost always wake after 10 or 15 minutes.... naturally. If I get up then, I feel quite refreshed. If, on the other hand, I turn over and go back to sleep, I feel drained when I finally wake up, and the sleep was worse than useless.

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: neilep on 28/03/2008 18:01:56

What really peeves me off is my inability to stay asleep.....I can finally fall asleep after a 48 hour stint and then awake again after 5 minutes and then my body thinks I've had a night's sleep !

Hmmmmmmmm..this is not related to this thread really is it ?

I have told this before but this is an example when a 15 minute nap is not good for you........There was this occasion when i was driving and my colleague said to me 'I'm going to have a Power Nap '.....I kind of tut tutted it and thought to myself ' yeah right'. Being the insomniac that I am ...having someone fall asleep like that was out of my ' believeability zone'....................I almost crashed the car !!......within two minutes my colleague was snoring away !!...........I just can not imagine such a thing !!

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: another_someone on 28/03/2008 18:45:22

Quote from: Seany on 28/03/2008 16:43:28

Ohhh.. There's this thing such as a power sleep or something. Like you get hours of sleep in a couple of minutes!!

Not really.  What some people manage to do is to break up hours of sleep into lots of short sleeps (I suspect this is particularly useful for women, particularly mothers with young babies, but generally traditional women's work often involves long hours, but lots of opportunities for short breaks, so they don't get the opportunity for a single long night's sleep, but have more opportunity for lots of short naps).

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: Seany on 29/03/2008 12:53:49

Quote from: Carol-A on 28/03/2008 17:44:40

If I'm really tired in the day, and decide to have a sleep, if I fall asleep, i will almost always wake after 10 or 15 minutes.... naturally. If I get up then, I feel quite refreshed. If, on the other hand, I turn over and go back to sleep, I feel drained when I finally wake up, and the sleep was worse than useless.

That's weird!!

Title: Is a short nap better than nothing?
Post by: lolaryan on 12/04/2008 17:20:01

I thought it was something to do with your sleep cycle; so you might feel refreshed after 20 minutes and wake up but if you ignore the urge to get up and go back to sleep and wake after an hour you will feel terrible. This varies from individual to individual. I don't know if there is any scientific basis to this.