The science behind the perfect nap [infographic]
Posted by staff / September 8, 2013 Flinders UniversityLeon LacknapWall Street Journal
Feel like a few zzz’s mid-afternoon would make all the difference in the world to your workday?
Turns out, you’re right, provided your snooze is between the ten- and twenty-minute mark.
According to the Wall Street Journal:
Leon Lack, a psychology professor at Flinders University in Australia, found in a 2006 study in the journal Sleep that among shorter breaks, 10-minute naps packed the most punch.
The study compared naps ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes, testing 24 participants at each of several intervals. After each nap the individuals were tested on a variety of mental-processing tasks. The sharpness of the 10-minute nappers became apparent “right away,” Dr. Lack said, and remained apparent for about two to 2 1/2 hours.
Sounds good to us, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg of the science behind napping.
Full story at Wall Street Journal.
There is an infographic that explained the secrets of better sleep. Excellent infographic – http://greatist.com/happiness/secret-better-sleep-infographic