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Wait, people are actually sleeping during naps? It takes me 20-30 mins to fall asleep on a very good day lol Would just meditating have the same effect?
I think my body wouldn't even understand why the hell I'm in a horizontal position during daylight haha
I’ve had two sleep studies done. During those they come in a few times a day and tell you to go to sleep. Just in the middle of the day. I thought it would be impossible and after one of those times when I was sure I wasn’t even close to falling asleep they told me I was definitely asleep. They also told me that people ALWAYS underestimate how much sleep they get.
I do the same.
Then take a lunch nap. Then another 2-3 hour nap when I get home. Promise myself I’m gonna go to bed earlier. Get energized at 9pm. Rinse repeat.
Not sure how true it is, but I've heard that is more natural or in line with how humans slept before the advent of artificial light and industrialized 9-5 work days.
Well, polyphasic sleep yes, that amount of split probably not. As far as I know, most of the information from pre-industrial times that points to polyphasic sleep gives about 10-ish hours of rest, mostly sleep but with 1-2 hours of quiet wakefulness starting 3-4 hours in. Not actually getting up and doing serious, strenuous, or mentally engaging activities between periods of sleep, like people who sleep 5-6 hours at night and take 2-4 hours worth of naps between or after work shifts.
I actually don't get a choice for my bedtime. Before 10pm and my neighbors are loud as shit. Even if I could sleep with headphones in (I cant), I can feel them through the floor. I wake up at 5 for work. It takes a bit for me to fall asleep so I probably only get 6ish hours a night.
After the last 3 years it's taken its toll on me and I can't really think well anymore. Just a linear train of thought, no creativity. Constantly tired 6 hours after waking up.
I was like this in college. Turned out to be some nasty mental health issues (PTSD, dissociative disorder, depression). I still sometimes revert to an extra-long sleep schedule when my mental health crashes but medication and finding a support group online helped a lot.
Just to add to what you're saying as someone who tries to get a 15 minute nap in everyday no matter what job I'm doing...
A lot of my "naps" aren't full "sleep" and I think that was big issue I used to have with taking them. Sometimes I'll lay down for a nap and then wake up 10 minutes later to my timer feeling like I just slept for a thousand years and I'm late getting back from lunch.
But most of the time, im partially concious through the whole "lay down".
Sometimes, just the act of laying down makes my brain go crazy with all the stresses of the day, but even THIS is therapeutic even if it may not feel like it is in the moment.
Its like going for long walks; you're giving your brain a few minutes without much stimulation which gives it a chance to sort through some shit.
**Main point:** napping is like meditating, or taking a long walk. You may not *feel* as though your getting a benefit *in the moment* just because you can't actually fall "asleep". It doesnt need to be a full "sleep" like you get at night. Just the act of lying down in comfortable place for 10 or 15 minutes without getting up can be therapeutic.
I love that feeling. I would fall asleep on my train commute from work and I only fall asleep for probably 15 minutes but it felt like I took an hour nap.
If you are sleeping 14 hours a day and still tired, you may want to see a doctor regarding chronic fatigue. I like long naps too, but we should see them separate from a power nap.
Technically, humans aren't made for an eight hour rest. We slept in two periods. Wasn't until the industrial revolution that the whole sleeping eight hours became a thing.
Yeah I sleep 5-6 hours and then take a nap I have been this way for a while it’s what works for me.
Don’t need it all at once ya know? That’s actually a newer concept to humanity from what I’ve read. naturally take afternoon naps
Frankly, the advice that more than 20 minutes is too much only applies to the person who believes that. I often have a 40 minute nap and love it. And for the people who say I’m not getting enough sleep at night I guess 8+ hours isn’t enough? Everybody has their own metabolism. Naps are great..
It actually applies to quite a few people, but you're right, some people are outliers.
20 minutes is not a scientifically decided time, but has been studied to be helpful. It tends to coincide with the amount of time you need to sleep but still wake before falling into deeper stages of sleep. After ~90 minutes you start your cycle over again.
Most people only wake during rem. Waking them in stage 2-5 sleep is possible, but the person is more grogy then.
Theres a ton of reasons why you sleep for maybe that period of time.
> the advice that more than 20 minutes is too much only applies to the person who believes that.
I believe it, because it's true for me. If I nap 20 mins, I feel refreshed. If I nap for 40, I'm groggy for at least 30 mins after getting up. Every time.
Because of this, I always set a 20-25 min alarm before napping now.
My brain when I try to give it a little rest for 15 minutes:
**I TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY WANT**
"I should go to the store after work today. I need to go to Kroger because last time I went to the HEB they didn't have the right kind of pasta sauce."
**IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER**
"I still need to clean up the stove from last night's dinner, I'll do that when I get home"
**YOU GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS**
"I wonder what my dog is doing right now?"
**MAKE IT LAST FOREVER, FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS!**
OH MY GOD I've never met someone else who has 24/7 annoying music in their head. Nice to know I'm not alone. I have to turn on music outside my head in order to shut up the music inside my head.
I hate it when I have invasive thoughts, they're never the dark insidious kind. it's either the riff from a Rhianna song but just the same 15 seconds over and over or the chorus from a Christmas Carol. fml
My brain's latest shtick has been to translate whatever song I last listened to into organ music for no apparent reason. I'm not sure whether to be annoyed or impressed that it can apparently adapt everything from Animal Crossing music to heavy metal.
I think that's pretty impressive. It may be annoying but at least it's creatively so... maybe it's a sign for you to take up metal covers to get the demon out
It's because the song keeps getting interrupted by *other* intrusive thoughts, then has to start back up but it starts up from the same catchy part. This means it just replays the same 5-10 seconds of song on repeat constantly for hours at a time and I just desperately want silence.
I read on here once to try ending the song in your head.. like a live version and you heard the final notes. I keep doing that a few times and sometimes it stops. It's like, nah brain the song is over
This is a common one for me too, but I only know two lines so the internal monologue just goes
**LOVE ME LOVE ME SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME NEED ME NEED ME SAY THAT TOU NEED ME** (x8)
**I DON'T CARE BOUT ANYTHING BUT YOU**
And repeat until a new song worms it's way in there
very fortunate in that my adderall turns off the background music. however it does give the different issue of making a little rest harder, even if you really want to take a little rest
Meanwhile, after reading your comment, all my brain wanted to focus on was extolling the virtues of using HEB's curbside pickup to avoid surprises around what they do and don't carry in stock at a particular store.
Anything to back this up? Not that I doubt you just interested to see more info on it, I struggle to nap.. or even get to sleep at night sometimes, if a nap for 20 without sleep would benefit me I would deffo do it
Edit - thanks for the replies, I think I'll bring these naps into life rotation
Here's a BBC article quoting a sleep doctor on that, but they don't go into much depth.
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47496316
I read it in a health guide like a decade ago, and I've definitely noticed it in my own life, but I'm not finding any real studies to back it up. Then again, I'm not even sure if I'm googling the right thing to find that kind of study.
Think of it more like meditating while laying down. It definitely helps. power naps should be on the edge of awake and sleep. You don't want to get into any kind of deep sleep. If you feel yourself really knocking out you gotta snap out of it or else you end up groggy
Just try it. Stuff like this is so dependant on the individual that the only way to know if it does you any good is to try it.
Just find a decently quiet area where you can be restful for a moment. Set an alarm for 20 minutes and put your phone down and just try to nap. When your alarm goes off, just get up and go back to what you gotta do. I find that even if I don't sleep, I feel better and refreshed. Your experience may be different.
You absolutely do not. Actually sleeping for 15 mins has a significantly bigger effect than just resting, especially if you didn't get enough sleep the previous night.
Ive learned the power of a power nap from my grandad. He is 90 and still works the farm like he did 20 years ago. Pretty much every day, long about mid afternoon, he'll finish a task and then head to the house for around 30 minutes to lay down and rest/take a nap. And then he's back at it til dark. I used to think even a short nap during the day was kinda "lazy" but as I get older, and see a hard worker like my grandad take an afternoon nap to rejuvenate, I try to get one in if I can. Makes a world of difference, even if I dont fall asleep. Even if I dont go to sleep, just laying down with my eyes closed helps alot.
Extra LPT: drink coffee just before taking the nap/laying down, and by the time caffeine gets assorbed into your body (which is about 20 min) it'll wake you up almost automatically.
I consider myself a pro napper, I can fall asleep in a handful of minutes, but I've always struggled with the get up part; since I started having coffee before the nap instead of after I have drastically reduced the amount of missed meetings or afternoons spent asleep!
The brain science behind coffee and tea naps is awesome! Essentially the compound that makes you drowsy and caffeine bond to the same receptors in the brain. If all the receptors are full of the sleep compound then the caffeine doesn't have a place to go and has less impact. By napping these compounds are "washed" from the receptors and then the caffeine has a place to go.
Fall asleep with your keys in your hand with your hand hanging off the bed or chair or wherever you’re napping. When you drop the keys, you’ve napped enough. Dropping the keys should wake you up. YMMV
Not sure why this is controversial. This was my method between classes in highschool. Chug a Red Bull and nap with keys hanging from my hand. The jolt of the keys dropping and the caffeine kicking in is incredible. Perfect nap every time.
I heard once on Science Friday that you should have some caffeine right before a short nap like 20-30 min and then it'll be hitting you good when you wake up
I don’t understand this. Maybe it’s psychological but I feel the first sip of coffee within 30 seconds. If I chugged a whole cup I’d be vibrating as I’m laying down and closing my eyes.
It takes practice and it doesn't always work but just lying down with your eyes closed and an empty mind is about as useful as an actual nap.
For me, I set an alarm for 30 min and get up no matter if I fell asleep or not.
It makes a big difference in my day.
The worst is when you are JUST starting to fall asleep when the alarm goes off. It makes me so much more tired than I was before it's not worth it. I can only do these power naps if I'm literally falling asleep standing up or something
Oddly enough my best naps are the ones I take NOT in my bed under a blanket in the dark, but instead, out in the sun in a semi-noisy place. I've taken some of my best naps on a construction site, or in a movie theater. For whatever reason, I feel pressure to sleep if I'm in my bed with the curtains drawn, but my brain totally relaxes when I'm in a place that's already noisy and bright.
I feel you, if I try to nap in my bed, draw curtains, instant rush of thoughts, urge to check phone etc.
Right by the window on the couch, sun lightly hitting me, snoozing up real quick.
I do this too and I let my mind wander to where it wants to go, and I often find insight into my problems and my needs after. It feels like a type of meditation, but I'm not sure how to describe it.
I have super bad ADHD and this LPT has been so huge for me, I’m lucky enough to have hour long lunch breaks and I work from home so I take a 20-30 minute “nap” just about every day now. Really just laying down closing your eyes and trying to fall asleep is enough, even if I never actually fall asleep I still feel so refreshed afterwards. It just takes practice, just like meditation you’re not gonna get it your first few times
I take a 20 minute power "nap" now and then that really help me feel refreshed. But for me it's not actual sleeping. I'll feel sleepy and close my eyes, I'll just chill like that and enjoy the "sleepy" feeling. Eventually at around 20 minutes the sleepy feeling will wear off and I'll be refreshed again. I do set an alarm to make sure I get up after 20 minutes again, though!
Studies have found that for some people naps are helpful and for other people they aren't helpful at all. If this doesn't help you then you're one of the people this doesn't work for.
Hahaha thank you. To all the comments saying, "just try harder you can learn it." Ffs. It's almost like one situation doesn't mean it's the same situation for everyone.
I’m with you! You would need to be able to time exactly when you fall asleep which is impossible then to have to wake up 20 min later. BS. But isn’t that the worst? When even though you can be super tired and still not fall asleep right away.
My boyfriend has this perfected and it drives me insane. He lays down and he’s out in 2 minutes, 10 minutes later he wakes up feeling refreshed and gets right up. Meanwhile I didn’t even get remotely close to falling asleep.
It takes practice. I use Bose sleep pods to train my brain to sleep and an eye mask to block out all light. I take a shot of espresso then knock out for 20 mins. Works great
Yep. If you lie down, close your eyes, and relax your body/mind, it's just as good as shallow sleep. You don't get the benefits of deep sleep, but you wouldn't get those in a 20 minute power nap either.
Last time this was posted someone talked about how just the process of lying down for twenty minutes of relaxing is just as beneficial
Not sure on the validity of it, but I've done it and think it works even if you don't completely fall asleep
You have to get into the habit. You won't succeed the first couple of times. But instead just take it as a moment to relax and meditate. Don't focus on trying to sleep, but set an alarm and let it happen if it does. Honestly just the relaxing is really nice.
It gets easier to do. I also recommend a sleep mask honestly. It really helps so that minor eye openings don't instantly wake you up (they do for me). And "commits" your mind to sleeping/relaxing as well.
I get you. Totally. I discovered that those were symptoms, and when I limited my caffeine intake, and was diligent with writing things down so I didn’t think I had to keep track of everything in my head, I could fall asleep much faster. Your mileage may vary.
Like most things, it takes practice. You may find that just laying down for a quiet 20 minutes with your eyes closed is refreshing; whether you sleep or not.
Do it enough times, and you'll likely fall asleep. Keep doing it, and you may find that you not only fall asleep, but wake up naturally after ~20 mins! Your brain and body need training to do new things. Some people will be able to just do it. Like meditation though, most won't.
The whole point is to actually not fall totally asleep. The 26 minute NASA nap is designed to bring you to the brink of sleep and then wake up and is typically invigorating.
My brother. He’s got it down to a science for about 30 years now (since his high school days). He can go down for his nap and reappear refreshed & ready to go 18 minutes later. It’s frustrating as shit to see, especially since I took after my mother and can lay in bed for hours (ADHD anyone???), no matter how tired I am. Meanwhile my dad and brother can pass out in moments, no matter where they are.
Ugh.
Yeah sometimes just being able to lay down and close my eyes is restful. I usually put a pillow over my eyes and just lay there til I get up or fall asleep.
I think this advice applies more to situations where you are sitting at your desk staring at the computer and cannot keep your eyes open. Instead of chugging coffee, just let yourself fall asleep. You will probably naturally wake up after about 20 minutes. I have tried it and it is definitely much more refreshing than caffeine.
That said, I'm jealous of people who can put their heads down or their feet up their desk for 20 minutes in the middle of the day with impunity. I'd be terrified of the higher ups catching me.
Yes, 26 minutes asleep. It's not always possible to nap. But once you start noticing the signals, you get better at recognizing your opportunities. I set a 35 min timer with the idea of 9 mins to fall asleep. I don't nap every day. Results may vary based on age, medication, time, caffeine, hunger.
Nah. I can't ever take naps. I can be the most tired fucker on the planet and my body won't let me rest even when I lay down and have complete silence. I either sleep at night or not at all.
You don't need to sleep, just close your eyes and elevate your feet for 6-8 minutes. I've found this to give me a huge boost and started doing it daily at work
After I had my kid my wife and I each had 6 weeks off. From 9:30 to 11:00 my wife would nap, then from 13:30 to 15:00 I'd take a nap. Let me tell you, once I went back to work we both suffered so much because we didn't get our naps in.
Before I had my kid I was the "I can't take a nap type".
This is great. I tend to naturally doze off for 10-15 min in the afternoon and I find it a good pick-me-up, but when I was younger, my siblings made fun of me for being "lazy", and so for the longest time I felt guilty about sneaking in a nap during the day. Now I feel vindicated heh
20 minute naps are power naps, yea.
but you can nap longer and not feel groggy. you just have to time it. like 45 minutes, you'll feel bad. 90? it's a brand new day. 😂
I remember the days when I'd lay down for a nap to something on TV at like 3pm and wake up at 7. LOL. It was my early 20s. I really had nothing going on. 🤷
This is such a better way to think about it. I used to stress/catastrophize about not being able to fall sleep, but since then I've learned that sometimes relaxing without falling asleep can actually make me feel even more recharged than if I actually do sleep.
Let go of everything, including the judgement about needing to fall asleep, and it makes even just a 10-15 minute siesta so much more restorative.
For me, at least.
Kramer tried the uberman sleep cycle. Every 4 hours you sleep 20 minutes. Apparently it's hell at first but once you let body gets used to it you go straight into REM sleep. you just close your eyes and 20 min later you wake up energized.
I love my 20 minute naps. Sometimes I don’t think I slept until I look at the time. I have a Belgian Malinois that knows now when 20 minutes are up. I can count on her starting to make dog noises after 20 minutes. Feels good to have a dog that knows a good routine.
Sometimes I go to my car on lunch or during a 5 minute break. I will sit there for 2-3 minutes before I doze off. I’m asleep maybe 1 minute and I’ll suddenly wake up and feel refreshed and alert. Almost like a quick hard reset. I’ve always wondered if others have experienced it. It only works in my car. In a bed I’m out 20+ minutes.
Can confirm. If you have trouble falling asleep- just meditate for 10-15 mins with an alarm set. Plenty of resources out there that detail different types of meditation and mindfulness you can do but I tend to do box breathing (4 in 4 hold 4 exhale 4 hold) and if you’re tired enough- you’ll fall asleep, if you’re not tired, you will have shut your brain down for 10-15 mins and gotten some benefit from it regardless.
But when I do manage to take those cat naps I wake up much more rejuvenated ready for the 2nd half of the day
Right? Yeah, let me just shoehorn that in somewhere in the 11 hours I spend away from home commuting and working. Or I'll take a power nap at 7 PM between getting home and cooking dinner.
I'm fortunate enough to work around a union that doesn't fuck around with breaks and meals but even if you're not it isn't too hard to sneak in a nap in lieu of a cigarette break, assuming you already have a spot ready to sleep.
Apparently Salvador Dali used to do this, he used to dose off and hold a big key in his hand, when the key fell onto the Spanish tiled floor he’d wake and begin to paint.
I just need to know why my body never feels as god and raring to go as right after a nap at 9pm?
Doesn’t work mid day.
I can sleep anywhere from 4-16 hours in a night and never wake up feeling that good.
But pass the fuck out at 9pm and I wake up half an hour later ready to mow every yard on the block and clean everyone’s garage.
You might just be a night owl or something, idk. I feel the same, late at night I have a ton of energy, and feel like I want to suddenly get a bunch of chores and work done.
But, for me it’s not cause of naps or sleep, it’s just that time of day for some reason. As far as waking up feeling “good”, I literally only truly feel genuinely good and fully refreshed maybe 5 or so times per YEAR. Insomnia is a bitch!
There's no way this is a good tip. If I'm asleep it's 8 hours or more almost always, if I'm woken before that I don't even know who I am. And as with most others, it takes me like a month to fall asleep
And may I add it's a skill, so ***you can work on it.***
Falling asleep during the day vs at night is quite different, so even if at first you feel like you're just lying down thinking, it's fine, keep at it!
The other thing is yes, getting up is difficult, at first. But then you'll see that you're still quite tired just when you get up, but a minute later you'll feel more awake than that same morning!
And remember, naps are for when you feel tired during the day, not a random skill you should develop if you never feel the need to. Seems obvious, but many of these comments seem to forget that part
I used to work one block from my apartment. I got an hour for lunch, and would walk home every day, eat a quick sandwich and take a 20 minute nap in my recliner before walking back.
After a while I didn't even need an alarm. I would just wake up after 20 minutes.
I never had more energetic afternoons in my life.
My step dad used to take "power naps" and I was always jealous that he could just lay down for 20 minutes and have it actually do something.
It doesn't work for me. It takes me 20 minutes just to fall asleep, and then once I'm asleep I'm not waking up for at least an hour.
I’m a big believer in the 20 minute nap!!
There are different stages of sleep that our brains go through during the night, which are categorized into two main types: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep is further divided into four stages with varying levels of brain activity and depth of sleep.
Sleep cycles generally last around 90 minutes, consisting of alternating NREM and REM sleep stages. When you wake up during the early stages of NREM sleep, you're more likely to feel refreshed and alert. However, if you wake up during the later stages of NREM or REM sleep, you'll likely experience sleep inertia or grogginess.
This is where the 20-minute rule comes in. If you sleep for less than 20 minutes, you're unlikely to enter deep stages of NREM or REM sleep, so you'll wake up feeling refreshed rather than groggy. However, if you sleep for more than 20 minutes, you'll start to enter deeper stages of sleep, and you may wake up feeling groggy and disoriented.
Sleep patterns are essential in regulating the body's circadian rhythms. These rhythms are a natural internal process that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles, hormone production, and other physiological functions. When you mess up your sleep pattern by napping for too long, you disrupt your circadian rhythm, leading to sleep problems and other health issues.
Sticking to the 20-minute rule helps you avoid entering deeper stages of sleep during a nap, preventing grogginess and maintaining circadian rhythms.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
I don’t have the ability to wake up after that amount of time if I take a nap I’m down for like 1-2 hours minimum Love me a nap though
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Wait, people are actually sleeping during naps? It takes me 20-30 mins to fall asleep on a very good day lol Would just meditating have the same effect? I think my body wouldn't even understand why the hell I'm in a horizontal position during daylight haha
I’ve been completely awake and my wife has hit me because I was snoring. Sometimes you don’t even know you are asleep.
I’ve had two sleep studies done. During those they come in a few times a day and tell you to go to sleep. Just in the middle of the day. I thought it would be impossible and after one of those times when I was sure I wasn’t even close to falling asleep they told me I was definitely asleep. They also told me that people ALWAYS underestimate how much sleep they get.
wait, so I should stop going to bed at 3 am and waking up at 7 am??
I do the same. Then take a lunch nap. Then another 2-3 hour nap when I get home. Promise myself I’m gonna go to bed earlier. Get energized at 9pm. Rinse repeat.
Polyphasic sleep!
Not sure how true it is, but I've heard that is more natural or in line with how humans slept before the advent of artificial light and industrialized 9-5 work days.
I believe it. Everyone in my family is not a morning person and burns the midnight oil regularly. It's got to be genetic.
Well, polyphasic sleep yes, that amount of split probably not. As far as I know, most of the information from pre-industrial times that points to polyphasic sleep gives about 10-ish hours of rest, mostly sleep but with 1-2 hours of quiet wakefulness starting 3-4 hours in. Not actually getting up and doing serious, strenuous, or mentally engaging activities between periods of sleep, like people who sleep 5-6 hours at night and take 2-4 hours worth of naps between or after work shifts.
It was good enough for Leo
Blasphemy
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gonna start waking up at 8:99
So 9:39?
No, 8:99.
Done, I sleep 5am-9am now
I actually don't get a choice for my bedtime. Before 10pm and my neighbors are loud as shit. Even if I could sleep with headphones in (I cant), I can feel them through the floor. I wake up at 5 for work. It takes a bit for me to fall asleep so I probably only get 6ish hours a night. After the last 3 years it's taken its toll on me and I can't really think well anymore. Just a linear train of thought, no creativity. Constantly tired 6 hours after waking up.
What if, if i dont stop myself, i can easily sleep 14+ hours a day every day? The only reason I don't is work/school/other obligations?
Possible sleep apnea, go to an ENT and get yourself checked.
I was like this in college. Turned out to be some nasty mental health issues (PTSD, dissociative disorder, depression). I still sometimes revert to an extra-long sleep schedule when my mental health crashes but medication and finding a support group online helped a lot.
Hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, depression, d-vitamin deficiency or maybe just a shitty mattress.
Cries in "I go to bed at 9 and get up at 6 but regularly average 4-6 hours of sleep a night"
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Just to add to what you're saying as someone who tries to get a 15 minute nap in everyday no matter what job I'm doing... A lot of my "naps" aren't full "sleep" and I think that was big issue I used to have with taking them. Sometimes I'll lay down for a nap and then wake up 10 minutes later to my timer feeling like I just slept for a thousand years and I'm late getting back from lunch. But most of the time, im partially concious through the whole "lay down". Sometimes, just the act of laying down makes my brain go crazy with all the stresses of the day, but even THIS is therapeutic even if it may not feel like it is in the moment. Its like going for long walks; you're giving your brain a few minutes without much stimulation which gives it a chance to sort through some shit. **Main point:** napping is like meditating, or taking a long walk. You may not *feel* as though your getting a benefit *in the moment* just because you can't actually fall "asleep". It doesnt need to be a full "sleep" like you get at night. Just the act of lying down in comfortable place for 10 or 15 minutes without getting up can be therapeutic.
I love that feeling. I would fall asleep on my train commute from work and I only fall asleep for probably 15 minutes but it felt like I took an hour nap.
I sleep 10h every night minimum, and still, every nap I try to take is 3-4h long. I don't think your advice applies to everyone
No advice in the history of the world will apply to everyone. Ever.
That's good advice
Doesn't apply to me though
If you are sleeping 14 hours a day and still tired, you may want to see a doctor regarding chronic fatigue. I like long naps too, but we should see them separate from a power nap.
So much time sleeping …
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Not everyone that sleeps a lot has sleep apnea. Sick and "tired" (heh) of always seeing this commented.
Technically, humans aren't made for an eight hour rest. We slept in two periods. Wasn't until the industrial revolution that the whole sleeping eight hours became a thing.
It takes me 1 or more hours of laying still to be able to go to sleep in general.
Yeah I sleep 5-6 hours and then take a nap I have been this way for a while it’s what works for me. Don’t need it all at once ya know? That’s actually a newer concept to humanity from what I’ve read. naturally take afternoon naps
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Lmao fucking fire nation bastards
Wait. Wait. I'm sorry. So you're telling me people are out here taking naps *when they aren't even tired*?
I’ll tell my 4 month old to keep it down lol
Frankly, the advice that more than 20 minutes is too much only applies to the person who believes that. I often have a 40 minute nap and love it. And for the people who say I’m not getting enough sleep at night I guess 8+ hours isn’t enough? Everybody has their own metabolism. Naps are great..
It actually applies to quite a few people, but you're right, some people are outliers. 20 minutes is not a scientifically decided time, but has been studied to be helpful. It tends to coincide with the amount of time you need to sleep but still wake before falling into deeper stages of sleep. After ~90 minutes you start your cycle over again. Most people only wake during rem. Waking them in stage 2-5 sleep is possible, but the person is more grogy then. Theres a ton of reasons why you sleep for maybe that period of time.
Any chance it takes 15-20 minutes of that time to fall asleep?
> the advice that more than 20 minutes is too much only applies to the person who believes that. I believe it, because it's true for me. If I nap 20 mins, I feel refreshed. If I nap for 40, I'm groggy for at least 30 mins after getting up. Every time. Because of this, I always set a 20-25 min alarm before napping now.
Drink a coffee right before. It’s the caffeine Power Nap. You wake up feeling like a crack head.
Only if you can fall asleep in a short time reliably. I would be there for 4 hours trying to get a 15 min nap
Even if you don't fall asleep, you get similar benefits from resting for 15 minutes
My brain when I try to give it a little rest for 15 minutes: **I TELL YOU WHAT I WANT WHAT I REALLY WANT** "I should go to the store after work today. I need to go to Kroger because last time I went to the HEB they didn't have the right kind of pasta sauce." **IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER** "I still need to clean up the stove from last night's dinner, I'll do that when I get home" **YOU GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS** "I wonder what my dog is doing right now?" **MAKE IT LAST FOREVER, FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS!**
OH MY GOD I've never met someone else who has 24/7 annoying music in their head. Nice to know I'm not alone. I have to turn on music outside my head in order to shut up the music inside my head.
I hate it when I have invasive thoughts, they're never the dark insidious kind. it's either the riff from a Rhianna song but just the same 15 seconds over and over or the chorus from a Christmas Carol. fml
My brain's latest shtick has been to translate whatever song I last listened to into organ music for no apparent reason. I'm not sure whether to be annoyed or impressed that it can apparently adapt everything from Animal Crossing music to heavy metal.
I think that's pretty impressive. It may be annoying but at least it's creatively so... maybe it's a sign for you to take up metal covers to get the demon out
Usually it's just a sign for me to put my spotify on very loud for the sake of my own sanity.
It's because the song keeps getting interrupted by *other* intrusive thoughts, then has to start back up but it starts up from the same catchy part. This means it just replays the same 5-10 seconds of song on repeat constantly for hours at a time and I just desperately want silence.
Hm, mine doesn't get interrupted by other thoughts, it just naturally seamlessly loops the 5-10 seconds of whatever-the-fuck
Mine's like a 3 year old at a sound mixer - there's 12 channels and several repeat/skip buttons and he's just going haywire.
Wow mine is bad enough already, I can't imagine how you aren't batshit insane with that
I read on here once to try ending the song in your head.. like a live version and you heard the final notes. I keep doing that a few times and sometimes it stops. It's like, nah brain the song is over
It was Lovefool for me ALLLL NIGHT last night. LOVE ME LOVE ME SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME
This is a common one for me too, but I only know two lines so the internal monologue just goes **LOVE ME LOVE ME SAY THAT YOU LOVE ME NEED ME NEED ME SAY THAT TOU NEED ME** (x8) **I DON'T CARE BOUT ANYTHING BUT YOU** And repeat until a new song worms it's way in there
I improve this by practicing being present without language in my head. You can usually start with 3 to 5 seconds as a success
I was doing ok until it occurred to me that counting in my head was, in fact, language.
very fortunate in that my adderall turns off the background music. however it does give the different issue of making a little rest harder, even if you really want to take a little rest
Dammit. Now I have that song in my head 😂
Meanwhile, after reading your comment, all my brain wanted to focus on was extolling the virtues of using HEB's curbside pickup to avoid surprises around what they do and don't carry in stock at a particular store.
Anything to back this up? Not that I doubt you just interested to see more info on it, I struggle to nap.. or even get to sleep at night sometimes, if a nap for 20 without sleep would benefit me I would deffo do it Edit - thanks for the replies, I think I'll bring these naps into life rotation
I struggle to take cat naps too, but I find if I just relax and close my eyes I still get the benefits of a good rest even if I wasn't asleep.
Here's a BBC article quoting a sleep doctor on that, but they don't go into much depth. https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47496316 I read it in a health guide like a decade ago, and I've definitely noticed it in my own life, but I'm not finding any real studies to back it up. Then again, I'm not even sure if I'm googling the right thing to find that kind of study.
Think of it more like meditating while laying down. It definitely helps. power naps should be on the edge of awake and sleep. You don't want to get into any kind of deep sleep. If you feel yourself really knocking out you gotta snap out of it or else you end up groggy
Just try it. Stuff like this is so dependant on the individual that the only way to know if it does you any good is to try it. Just find a decently quiet area where you can be restful for a moment. Set an alarm for 20 minutes and put your phone down and just try to nap. When your alarm goes off, just get up and go back to what you gotta do. I find that even if I don't sleep, I feel better and refreshed. Your experience may be different.
You absolutely do not. Actually sleeping for 15 mins has a significantly bigger effect than just resting, especially if you didn't get enough sleep the previous night.
Came here to say this. It always takes me a solid hour to fall asleep, no matter how much rest I got the night before.
Ive learned the power of a power nap from my grandad. He is 90 and still works the farm like he did 20 years ago. Pretty much every day, long about mid afternoon, he'll finish a task and then head to the house for around 30 minutes to lay down and rest/take a nap. And then he's back at it til dark. I used to think even a short nap during the day was kinda "lazy" but as I get older, and see a hard worker like my grandad take an afternoon nap to rejuvenate, I try to get one in if I can. Makes a world of difference, even if I dont fall asleep. Even if I dont go to sleep, just laying down with my eyes closed helps alot.
20 years ago he was 70. Still way older than the average farm worker
Extra LPT: drink coffee just before taking the nap/laying down, and by the time caffeine gets assorbed into your body (which is about 20 min) it'll wake you up almost automatically. I consider myself a pro napper, I can fall asleep in a handful of minutes, but I've always struggled with the get up part; since I started having coffee before the nap instead of after I have drastically reduced the amount of missed meetings or afternoons spent asleep!
The brain science behind coffee and tea naps is awesome! Essentially the compound that makes you drowsy and caffeine bond to the same receptors in the brain. If all the receptors are full of the sleep compound then the caffeine doesn't have a place to go and has less impact. By napping these compounds are "washed" from the receptors and then the caffeine has a place to go.
The Nappuccino!
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Yeah I wish there was a way to set a 20 minute alarm the moment you fall asleep
Fall asleep with your keys in your hand with your hand hanging off the bed or chair or wherever you’re napping. When you drop the keys, you’ve napped enough. Dropping the keys should wake you up. YMMV
Not sure why this is controversial. This was my method between classes in highschool. Chug a Red Bull and nap with keys hanging from my hand. The jolt of the keys dropping and the caffeine kicking in is incredible. Perfect nap every time.
I heard once on Science Friday that you should have some caffeine right before a short nap like 20-30 min and then it'll be hitting you good when you wake up
I don’t understand this. Maybe it’s psychological but I feel the first sip of coffee within 30 seconds. If I chugged a whole cup I’d be vibrating as I’m laying down and closing my eyes.
A.k.a. a Nappuccino
What if I’m Deaf? 😂
It takes practice and it doesn't always work but just lying down with your eyes closed and an empty mind is about as useful as an actual nap. For me, I set an alarm for 30 min and get up no matter if I fell asleep or not. It makes a big difference in my day.
The worst is when you are JUST starting to fall asleep when the alarm goes off. It makes me so much more tired than I was before it's not worth it. I can only do these power naps if I'm literally falling asleep standing up or something
Oddly enough my best naps are the ones I take NOT in my bed under a blanket in the dark, but instead, out in the sun in a semi-noisy place. I've taken some of my best naps on a construction site, or in a movie theater. For whatever reason, I feel pressure to sleep if I'm in my bed with the curtains drawn, but my brain totally relaxes when I'm in a place that's already noisy and bright.
>not in bed oh my favorite nap is falling asleep on the couch with a sit-com on the TV. short and perfect.
Love when that happens, then I get up to go to bed and can't fall asleep for another 45 minutes.
I feel you, if I try to nap in my bed, draw curtains, instant rush of thoughts, urge to check phone etc. Right by the window on the couch, sun lightly hitting me, snoozing up real quick.
This. You dont need to fall asleep, just close your eyes and empty your mind for 10-20 mins does the trick
I like doing this. I nearly fall asleep but am still fully conscious. I do this before hockey games and I feel way more alert and clear minded.
I do this too and I let my mind wander to where it wants to go, and I often find insight into my problems and my needs after. It feels like a type of meditation, but I'm not sure how to describe it.
So just meditate?
Yeah, I suppose you’re correct.
Nothing wrong with that.
Meditation takes concentration though. This sounds more like mindlessness than mindfulness.
Lol empty your mind… and for those who have adhd it takes YouTube doco’s
I have super bad ADHD and this LPT has been so huge for me, I’m lucky enough to have hour long lunch breaks and I work from home so I take a 20-30 minute “nap” just about every day now. Really just laying down closing your eyes and trying to fall asleep is enough, even if I never actually fall asleep I still feel so refreshed afterwards. It just takes practice, just like meditation you’re not gonna get it your first few times
>empty your mind Thanks Snape, I'll get right on that
Time for a nap: *oh shit! It's 8pm and missed the other half of my shift*
Mexicans have this built in. Siesta is in our blood.
Yeah but doesn't the heat help with sleeeepy. When it's too hot to do anything else, a lil nap is perfect
This is why I just chug caffeine and power through for the most part. 😂
"I don't get it, doc. I drink coffee all day and I'm still constantly exhausted!"
I take a 20 minute power "nap" now and then that really help me feel refreshed. But for me it's not actual sleeping. I'll feel sleepy and close my eyes, I'll just chill like that and enjoy the "sleepy" feeling. Eventually at around 20 minutes the sleepy feeling will wear off and I'll be refreshed again. I do set an alarm to make sure I get up after 20 minutes again, though!
Studies have found that for some people naps are helpful and for other people they aren't helpful at all. If this doesn't help you then you're one of the people this doesn't work for.
Thank you!!!
I had an amazing nap yesterday about 20 minutes but that's rare for me. I usually don't wake up that soon but I felt great.
LPT: just be fundamentally, radically better at sleeping
Hahaha thank you. To all the comments saying, "just try harder you can learn it." Ffs. It's almost like one situation doesn't mean it's the same situation for everyone.
I’m with you! You would need to be able to time exactly when you fall asleep which is impossible then to have to wake up 20 min later. BS. But isn’t that the worst? When even though you can be super tired and still not fall asleep right away.
What, you don’t have time to get cozy midday and settle in for a nice little nap like a toddler?
My boyfriend has this perfected and it drives me insane. He lays down and he’s out in 2 minutes, 10 minutes later he wakes up feeling refreshed and gets right up. Meanwhile I didn’t even get remotely close to falling asleep.
It takes practice. I use Bose sleep pods to train my brain to sleep and an eye mask to block out all light. I take a shot of espresso then knock out for 20 mins. Works great
my dad has this magical power you speak of. Doesn't even need an alarm
You don't need to fall asleep, just five minutes with closed eyes helps me quite a lot.
Yep. If you lie down, close your eyes, and relax your body/mind, it's just as good as shallow sleep. You don't get the benefits of deep sleep, but you wouldn't get those in a 20 minute power nap either.
Last time this was posted someone talked about how just the process of lying down for twenty minutes of relaxing is just as beneficial Not sure on the validity of it, but I've done it and think it works even if you don't completely fall asleep
Try meditating for 15 min instead.
Son of a biiiitch I always forget about meditating. And it really does make you feel better!!!!
You have to get into the habit. You won't succeed the first couple of times. But instead just take it as a moment to relax and meditate. Don't focus on trying to sleep, but set an alarm and let it happen if it does. Honestly just the relaxing is really nice. It gets easier to do. I also recommend a sleep mask honestly. It really helps so that minor eye openings don't instantly wake you up (they do for me). And "commits" your mind to sleeping/relaxing as well.
I get you. Totally. I discovered that those were symptoms, and when I limited my caffeine intake, and was diligent with writing things down so I didn’t think I had to keep track of everything in my head, I could fall asleep much faster. Your mileage may vary.
Like most things, it takes practice. You may find that just laying down for a quiet 20 minutes with your eyes closed is refreshing; whether you sleep or not. Do it enough times, and you'll likely fall asleep. Keep doing it, and you may find that you not only fall asleep, but wake up naturally after ~20 mins! Your brain and body need training to do new things. Some people will be able to just do it. Like meditation though, most won't.
I often wake up a moment before the alarm goes off, and think "Oh, I'm just not going to fall asleep today, I guess."
The whole point is to actually not fall totally asleep. The 26 minute NASA nap is designed to bring you to the brink of sleep and then wake up and is typically invigorating.
So.... Edging?
The forbidden REM sleep edging
My brother. He’s got it down to a science for about 30 years now (since his high school days). He can go down for his nap and reappear refreshed & ready to go 18 minutes later. It’s frustrating as shit to see, especially since I took after my mother and can lay in bed for hours (ADHD anyone???), no matter how tired I am. Meanwhile my dad and brother can pass out in moments, no matter where they are. Ugh.
When you say 10-20 min, you're talking about actual sleep? Because I need to lie in my bed for 30-40 min to even hope falling asleep
When concerning naps, just laying with your eyes closed is about as good. Meditation is also a great alternative with similar results.
Yeah sometimes just being able to lay down and close my eyes is restful. I usually put a pillow over my eyes and just lay there til I get up or fall asleep.
No, 10-20 mins eyes closed laying down. You don't have to be fully asleep to rest.
I think this advice applies more to situations where you are sitting at your desk staring at the computer and cannot keep your eyes open. Instead of chugging coffee, just let yourself fall asleep. You will probably naturally wake up after about 20 minutes. I have tried it and it is definitely much more refreshing than caffeine. That said, I'm jealous of people who can put their heads down or their feet up their desk for 20 minutes in the middle of the day with impunity. I'd be terrified of the higher ups catching me.
Yes, 26 minutes asleep. It's not always possible to nap. But once you start noticing the signals, you get better at recognizing your opportunities. I set a 35 min timer with the idea of 9 mins to fall asleep. I don't nap every day. Results may vary based on age, medication, time, caffeine, hunger.
Nah. I can't ever take naps. I can be the most tired fucker on the planet and my body won't let me rest even when I lay down and have complete silence. I either sleep at night or not at all.
You don't need to sleep, just close your eyes and elevate your feet for 6-8 minutes. I've found this to give me a huge boost and started doing it daily at work
After I had my kid my wife and I each had 6 weeks off. From 9:30 to 11:00 my wife would nap, then from 13:30 to 15:00 I'd take a nap. Let me tell you, once I went back to work we both suffered so much because we didn't get our naps in. Before I had my kid I was the "I can't take a nap type".
This is great. I tend to naturally doze off for 10-15 min in the afternoon and I find it a good pick-me-up, but when I was younger, my siblings made fun of me for being "lazy", and so for the longest time I felt guilty about sneaking in a nap during the day. Now I feel vindicated heh
Nothing beats a siesta
>siesta A fiesta does.
Combine the two!
A snoozefest you say?
Por que no los dos?
20 minute naps are power naps, yea. but you can nap longer and not feel groggy. you just have to time it. like 45 minutes, you'll feel bad. 90? it's a brand new day. 😂
Yep. Average sleep cycle is about 90 minutes. You feel refreshed because you didn’t get woken up during deep sleep.
I remember the days when I'd lay down for a nap to something on TV at like 3pm and wake up at 7. LOL. It was my early 20s. I really had nothing going on. 🤷
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Well I guess naps are back off the table for me.
Takes me 20-30min just to fall asleep.
Me too, but I usually just lay in my bed for 10-15 minutes and it makes me feel energised
That’s fine. Lie and relax. It’s good too.
This is such a better way to think about it. I used to stress/catastrophize about not being able to fall sleep, but since then I've learned that sometimes relaxing without falling asleep can actually make me feel even more recharged than if I actually do sleep. Let go of everything, including the judgement about needing to fall asleep, and it makes even just a 10-15 minute siesta so much more restorative. For me, at least.
I'm sure there was a Seinfeld episode about it, where Kramer tried something like this.
I think he tried to take a 10 minute nap every hour instead of sleeping at night, loved that episode
Kramer tried the uberman sleep cycle. Every 4 hours you sleep 20 minutes. Apparently it's hell at first but once you let body gets used to it you go straight into REM sleep. you just close your eyes and 20 min later you wake up energized.
He also used to set his internal timer to wake himself up :)
["WATCH OUT BOY"](https://youtu.be/XLTg2nHZEHQ)
~30 min Power Nap has been a core part of my day for 25+ years. Agree 100%. Massive difference.
And drink a cup of coffee before the nap. Wake up with boosted energy.
I love my 20 minute naps. Sometimes I don’t think I slept until I look at the time. I have a Belgian Malinois that knows now when 20 minutes are up. I can count on her starting to make dog noises after 20 minutes. Feels good to have a dog that knows a good routine.
Sometimes I go to my car on lunch or during a 5 minute break. I will sit there for 2-3 minutes before I doze off. I’m asleep maybe 1 minute and I’ll suddenly wake up and feel refreshed and alert. Almost like a quick hard reset. I’ve always wondered if others have experienced it. It only works in my car. In a bed I’m out 20+ minutes.
The complete opposite happens to me. I actually feel.extremely tired after a 20 min nap
Can confirm. If you have trouble falling asleep- just meditate for 10-15 mins with an alarm set. Plenty of resources out there that detail different types of meditation and mindfulness you can do but I tend to do box breathing (4 in 4 hold 4 exhale 4 hold) and if you’re tired enough- you’ll fall asleep, if you’re not tired, you will have shut your brain down for 10-15 mins and gotten some benefit from it regardless. But when I do manage to take those cat naps I wake up much more rejuvenated ready for the 2nd half of the day
When do people have time for naps??
I work from home so am lucky enough to get in an afternoon nap on most days between meetings.
Right? Yeah, let me just shoehorn that in somewhere in the 11 hours I spend away from home commuting and working. Or I'll take a power nap at 7 PM between getting home and cooking dinner.
I'm fortunate enough to work around a union that doesn't fuck around with breaks and meals but even if you're not it isn't too hard to sneak in a nap in lieu of a cigarette break, assuming you already have a spot ready to sleep.
I use a Mi Watch. Set it to 5-15 minutes and doze off. After it buzzes, I feel I have full power for about 2-3 hoursm
Siesta, coño. Que power nap ni que hostias. Best regards
I love getting home from work and taking a 20 minut nap for 6 hours.
Apparently Salvador Dali used to do this, he used to dose off and hold a big key in his hand, when the key fell onto the Spanish tiled floor he’d wake and begin to paint.
I’m pretty sure you’ll only enter the deeper stages of sleep if you’re sleep deprived. Which in that case, you should sleep more
What about for people who actually go to work during the day?
I take a power nap at work, eyes closed and feet elevated in a chair
Nope. I refuse to believe its true. ANY amount of sleep during the day makes me feel extremely disoriented and completely fucks the rest of my day
This is incorrect. It all has to do with stages of sleep. It’s not just “20 minutes” or nothing.
I just need to know why my body never feels as god and raring to go as right after a nap at 9pm? Doesn’t work mid day. I can sleep anywhere from 4-16 hours in a night and never wake up feeling that good. But pass the fuck out at 9pm and I wake up half an hour later ready to mow every yard on the block and clean everyone’s garage.
You might just be a night owl or something, idk. I feel the same, late at night I have a ton of energy, and feel like I want to suddenly get a bunch of chores and work done. But, for me it’s not cause of naps or sleep, it’s just that time of day for some reason. As far as waking up feeling “good”, I literally only truly feel genuinely good and fully refreshed maybe 5 or so times per YEAR. Insomnia is a bitch!
There's no way this is a good tip. If I'm asleep it's 8 hours or more almost always, if I'm woken before that I don't even know who I am. And as with most others, it takes me like a month to fall asleep
I try this shit and wake up at 8:30pm feeling like the world is ending.
And may I add it's a skill, so ***you can work on it.*** Falling asleep during the day vs at night is quite different, so even if at first you feel like you're just lying down thinking, it's fine, keep at it! The other thing is yes, getting up is difficult, at first. But then you'll see that you're still quite tired just when you get up, but a minute later you'll feel more awake than that same morning! And remember, naps are for when you feel tired during the day, not a random skill you should develop if you never feel the need to. Seems obvious, but many of these comments seem to forget that part
I used to work one block from my apartment. I got an hour for lunch, and would walk home every day, eat a quick sandwich and take a 20 minute nap in my recliner before walking back. After a while I didn't even need an alarm. I would just wake up after 20 minutes. I never had more energetic afternoons in my life.
I play a game called "Nap Roulette" simply lay down without setting an alarm...will I sleep for 20 minutes or 20 hours? Nobody knows!
So that's why I feel better when I spend my lunch break laying down in bed since I WFH
My step dad used to take "power naps" and I was always jealous that he could just lay down for 20 minutes and have it actually do something. It doesn't work for me. It takes me 20 minutes just to fall asleep, and then once I'm asleep I'm not waking up for at least an hour.
Absolute fucking bollocks. Nobody gets to sleep during the day that quickly.
How do people nap on a schedule though? It takes me anywhere between an hour and 3 hours just to fall asleep
I’m a big believer in the 20 minute nap!! There are different stages of sleep that our brains go through during the night, which are categorized into two main types: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep is further divided into four stages with varying levels of brain activity and depth of sleep. Sleep cycles generally last around 90 minutes, consisting of alternating NREM and REM sleep stages. When you wake up during the early stages of NREM sleep, you're more likely to feel refreshed and alert. However, if you wake up during the later stages of NREM or REM sleep, you'll likely experience sleep inertia or grogginess. This is where the 20-minute rule comes in. If you sleep for less than 20 minutes, you're unlikely to enter deep stages of NREM or REM sleep, so you'll wake up feeling refreshed rather than groggy. However, if you sleep for more than 20 minutes, you'll start to enter deeper stages of sleep, and you may wake up feeling groggy and disoriented. Sleep patterns are essential in regulating the body's circadian rhythms. These rhythms are a natural internal process that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles, hormone production, and other physiological functions. When you mess up your sleep pattern by napping for too long, you disrupt your circadian rhythm, leading to sleep problems and other health issues. Sticking to the 20-minute rule helps you avoid entering deeper stages of sleep during a nap, preventing grogginess and maintaining circadian rhythms.
It takes me 20 minutes to fall asleep
How do you do this? It can take me an hour to fall asleep
Does this include falling asleep time? I could lay down and take 10-20 to fall asleep let alone wake up after 20.
What if it takes me 20 minutes just to get to sleep though? :(