How to Recover from a Nap

Optimizing Naptime

Plan your nap to minimize grogginess. An average sleep cycle lasts from 90 to 110 minutes, in a flux from light sleep to deep sleep. Consider the stages: Stage 1 is the first and shallowest stage of sleep – it lasts anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Your eyes are closed, but it's easy to wake you up. You probably won't feel terribly refreshed if you nap for five minutes, but you shouldn't feel too groggy, either. Stage 2 is a slightly deeper stage of shallow sleep. Your heart rate slows, your body temperature drops, and you begin to sleep into deep sleep. This may last 5-10 minutes. Stage 3 is the "deep sleep" stage. If you're awoken during deep sleep, you will feel groggy and disoriented for a few minutes. EXPERT TIP Alex Dimitriu, MD Alex Dimitriu, MD Sleep Specialist Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine. Alex Dimitriu, MD Alex Dimitriu, MD Sleep Specialist Our Expert Agrees: When a nap goes too long, it can create sleep inertia, where your body goes into the next phase of deep sleep. If you try to wake up at that point, your body is primed to continue sleeping, and that can make you feel more tired afterward.

Nap for 20 minutes at a time for a quick "power nap". Set an alarm for about 25 minutes from now: 20 minutes to sleep, and 5 minutes to fall asleep. A short "power nap" ends before your brain sleeps into deep or slow-wave sleep; you will wake feeling rejuvenated, and you shouldn't feel groggy. If you nap for longer than 20 minutes, you may slip into a deeper sleep phase – and if so, you may find yourself groggier if you wake before the end of the full sleep cycle. The 20-minute power nap, sometimes called the stage 2 nap, is good for alertness and motor learning skills – things like typing and playing the piano.

Nap for 30-60 minutes to slip into slow-wave sleep. Research shows that longer naps help boost memory and enhance creativity. When you nap for 30-60 minutes, you slip into slow-wave sleep, which is the deep phase that comes between REM "dream" sleep. A 30-60 minute nap is good for decision-making skills – e.g. memorizing vocabulary or recalling directions. Be aware that you may wake up groggier, at first, if you are awoken during the deepest part of the sleep cycle.

Nap for 60-90 minutes to reap the benefits of REM sleep. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the final phase of the sleep cycle; it is when dreams happen, and it is when your brain restores itself. REM sleep plays a key role in making new connections in the brain and solving creative problems.

Try not to oversleep. The purpose of a nap is to rejuvenate your body, so it's important that you give yourself plenty of time. Set an alarm to make sure that you stick to your desired naptime. If you want to get very precise, add several minutes to your "nap time" to allow yourself plenty of time to fall asleep.

Overcoming Grogginess

Splash water on your face to wake more quickly. Wipe your face with a clean washcloth, or cup water in your hands. Rub the corners of your eyes to open them up. You can use warm or cold water, although cold water may be more refreshing: cool water has been shown to increase blood flow and help you wake more quickly. Take a shower, if you have time. Make sure to run plenty of water into your face. Not only will washing your face make you feel less tired – it will make you look less tired. Wash your face thoroughly to rub out any lingering sleep-wrinkles.

Drink water to kick your metabolism into gear and get your electrolytes flowing. When you fall into a deep nap, your metabolism slows into a low-maintenance sleep-state. Drinking water will signal to your body that it's time to wake up. Fill a tall glass and drink it, slowly.

Drink caffeine to wake up more quickly. If you're feeling especially groggy, try ingesting a caffeinated beverage—coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.—to stimulate your mind and clear away the heavy-headed haze. Avoid drinking caffeine if you're planning to fall back asleep anytime soon. Coffee affects everyone differently, but there's a good chance that one dose will keep you awake for hours to come. Be aware that many caffeinated drinks have a diuretic effect. Drink coffee, if necessary, but be sure to also drink water.

Eat a light snack. Spur your metabolism and settle your stomach. If you feel nauseous when you wake, it may help to put a bit of food into your system. Eat something light, digestible, and energy-rich: fruit and nuts are ideal.

Stimulate your mind. Read a book, read the paper, or go online. Work a crossword puzzle, play a video game, or watch an upbeat television program – anything that gets your brain working. If your mind is active and engaged, you'll find it more difficult to slip back into sleep.

Try listening to upbeat music. Put on a party playlist or a workout playlist – anything that pumps you up and makes you want to get moving.

Open your window to get fresh air into the room. This should make you feel more awake and less groggy.

Resuming Your Day

Brush your teeth to recover from bad breath and mouth fuzziness. Swig a mouthful of mouthwash, if you please, and gargle to refresh your throat. The ritual of washing out your morning breath may help swing your mind back into the bustle of the day, and you may feel more ready to resume your day once you've rid your mouth of its "fuzzy" feeling. If you don't have access to a toothbrush, chew some mint gum.

Stretch and move around. Depending on where you napped, you may feel stiff and sore. Try stretching our all your muscles to loosen up and relax. Go for a run, if you have time, to get your heart pumping and put your brain into action mode. Try dynamic stretches like lunges and high-knees. Try jumping jacks and squats. The faster you move, the more quickly your blood will get flowing.

Make yourself presentable. Fix your hair, get dressed (or smooth out your clothing), and reapply your makeup if necessary. If you are going back to work or venturing back out into the world, you may need to put a few minutes into restoring your appearance.

Get up and stay up. Don't go back to sit wherever you were napping. There's a good chance that you will fall back asleep.

If you're in class, don't make a scene. Listen carefully to pick up the thread of the lecture, and try to get back into the flow of the discussion. Try to remember what you were doing before you fell asleep. Don't jerk your head up suddenly, unless you love attention – instead, slowly lift your head up and blink a lot so your eyes can get used to the light.

Be patient. You should feel awake and fully alert within about 30 minutes. Drink water and caffeine, eat an energy-laden snack, and try to stay active – you will gradually recover from the nap the longer you're awake.