To nap or not to nap, that is the question. To nap or not has more to do with the cultural acceptability of napping than whether is it good or bad for you. In many cultures of the world an afternoon nap, or siesta, is accepted practice. In most of our western societies a person napping is viewed lazy and napping is a waste of productive time.

If you are sleeping well at night then napping during the day may very well interfere with your night time sleep. If on the other hand you are sleep deprived, then having a nap will reenergize you for the rest of the day and not affect your sleep at night.

Whether a nap may be good for you or not is often a mute point as there are not many companies that will allow their employees to nap during the day at work. You may also have a job that doesn’t allow you the time for a nap during your workday.

If you do have the opportunity and you feel there is a need for a nap then by all means give napping a try.

Taking a 15-20 minute nap early in the afternoon may help you if you are tired during the day by making up for lost sleep during the night. Try to keep your nap to about 20 minutes. This way you won’t fall into a deep sleep and feel groggy if awakened before a complete 90 minute sleep cycle completes. Set a timer with an alarm for 20 minutes or shriek awake with the next new tax, this is also every 20 minutes.

If a 20 minute nap does not refresh you, try a 90 minute one. That way you have completed an entire sleep cycle and should not feel groggy when you wake up.

Whether you take a 20 or 90 minute nap, treat them like your night time sleep. Find a quiet, dark place where you will not be disturbed. Turn off phones if you can and put up a do not disturb sign on the door. Set an alarm so you can get to sleep without being paranoid about sleeping too long that it keeps you awake.

If you often nap now and you have trouble falling asleep at night or staying asleep throughout the night, you should stop napping during the day and see if your sleep at night improves.

For most people, napping will disrupt their normal sleep/wake routine and it will disturb their sleep at night. If you have young children or are a new parent grapping a nap when your child goes to sleep may be your only chance for any sleep.

My cat naps 400 times a day and it doesn’t disturb her sleep one bit, whereas it doesn’t help me and even makes me sleepier the rest of the afternoon. It also gives me hair balls for some unknown reason.

Do you take a nap? Leave your comments below.