How to Create a Healthy Winter Sleep Routine
How to Establish a Healthy Sleep Routine During These Dark, Dreary Days of Winter
10
That brings us to our final piece of advice, which is all about napping. Here's the thing: if you're not getting enough sleep (or you're not sleeping soundly), it's OK to take a nap. But you have to do it the right way. "A nap should only last around 20 minutes," Dr. Dasgupta said. Why, you ask? Well, sleeping and napping aren't one and the same.
You want to fall into the deeper stages of sleep during the night, but when you're napping, you need to remain in the lighter stages to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed instead of tired and sluggish. "If you nap for an hour, that's not a nap, that's sleep," Dr. Dasgupta explained. "That's why many people don't feel refreshed after a nap. Twenty minutes guarantees you'll be in those lighter stages of sleep, but it will still be refreshing."