Can napping do more harm than good?

[Kyng]

https://theconversation.com/can-a-daily-...ins-251630

You’re in the middle of the afternoon, eyelids heavy, focus slipping. You close your eyes for half an hour and wake up feeling recharged. But later that night, you’re tossing and turning in bed, wondering why you can’t drift off. That midday snooze which felt so refreshing at the time might be the reason.

Naps have long been praised as a tool for boosting alertness, enhancing mood, strengthening memory, and improving productivity. Yet for some, they can sabotage nighttime sleep.

Napping is a double-edged sword. Done right, it’s a powerful way to recharge the brain, improve concentration, and support mental and physical health. Done wrong, it can leave you groggy, disoriented, and struggling to fall asleep later. The key lies in understanding how the body regulates sleep and wakefulness.

Most people experience a natural dip in alertness in the early afternoon, typically between 1pm and 4pm. This isn’t just due to a heavy lunch – our internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, creates cycles of wakefulness and tiredness throughout the day. The early afternoon lull is part of this rhythm, which is why so many people feel drowsy at that time.

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Yeah, I have heard that napping too late in the day can cause problems (because it deprives us of the 'sleep pressure' that we need to be able to sleep at night) - but, I often find I can't help it!

Have you ever had problems with napping like this?

[Shiny Star]

I always try to avoid napping otherwise I end up relying on it. I definitely feel that tiredness after lunch in the afternoon. When I nap I will sleep for 2 hours and it’s only productive if I am sick or didn’t sleep much at all the night before.

[Kyng]

I always try to avoid napping otherwise I end up relying on it. I definitely feel that tiredness after lunch in the afternoon. When I nap I will sleep for 2 hours and it’s only productive if I am sick or didn’t sleep much at all the night before.

Yeah, I think I rely on it too much .

I get into a cycle of: Feel tired --> Take a nap --> Not have enough time to do everything I want to do --> Stay up late to finish everything off --> Feel tired the next day .

Right now, I'm trying to break that cycle!

[Shiny Star]

It’s the same cycle as caffeine. I napped the other day for two hours but that’s because I felt sick. I was still able to sleep at night at the same time though.

[Kyng]

It’s the same cycle as caffeine. I napped the other day for two hours but that’s because I felt sick. I was still able to sleep at night at the same time though.

Yeah, to be honest, given how much coffee I have, I wouldn't be surprised if I was in a caffeine cycle *and* a napping cycle !

[~ True Legend ~]

What if you do a cardio workout, would that help prevent afternoon tiredness?

[Cory]

Sometimes I oversleep on my days off, which often makes me feel more groggy and lack alertness as I would with a normal sleeping pattern. By the time you have a day off, you can be exausted from the rest of the week, and when you have no places to go or no people to see, you're more prone to oversleeping. When I oversleep, I often wake up off and on before fully getting out of bed. I think sometimes when you do that, it can affect your alertness and make you more prone to feeling groggy throughout the day.

Over-napping can probably have similar side effects to oversleeping in general. As suggested, you may feel more alive and well for a brief period, but when you can't sleep at night, you'll probably feel more fatigued the next day.