We all love a good nap, but the worst kind of nap is one that makes you feel more tired.
Sleep medicine specialist Dr. Jose Colon said the key to having the best nap of your life is to limit how long you're sleeping for.
"A 20 or 26-minute period is ideal," Colon said.
If you sleep for longer than 26 minutes, Colon said you'll wake up tired.
"You're going to be groggy with heavy sleep inertia when you wake up, and it's going to be difficult to sleep at night," Colon said.
It's kind of like being hungry.
"Just like we need to develop an appetite, we need to develop a sleep appetite or a sleep drive," Colon said.
The more you eat before dinner, the less hungry you'll be when dinnertime rolls around. Colon said the same goes for sleep.
"Two-hour naps are like going to a Golden Corral buffet for lunch. You're not going to be hungry at night. You may not be hungry the next day," Colon said.
If you only have a few minutes, Colon said there's no such thing as too short a nap.
"Taking five minutes and closing your eyes or doing an unawareness of breath is helpful, has beneficial effects as well," Colon said.
Colon said another hack to improve your nap is drinking coffee right before you go to sleep.
"It takes 20 minutes for caffeine to digest. So, having some type of caffeine preparation and then taking a nap, at a 20-minute interval, gives you the benefit of both," Colon said.
Another helpful tip is taking a minute to meditate before you fall asleep.
"You're naturally slowing down your respiratory rate. When you slow down how you're breathing, that calms your heart down, which calms your mind down as well. And then even if you don't nap, you're still getting that rest and restoration," Colon said.
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