Do you ever feel worse after having a nap? There’s a reason why
Sometimes we can’t help but have a nap, even though we know they always make us feel groggy afterwards.
There have been many occasions when I’ve come home from work, opened Netflix and dozed off before the ‘Gilmore Girls’ theme song has even ended.
The days of being able to stay up until 2 am without feeling like death are no more. We’re now at a stage when we need a nap to get through the day.
We’re slowly but surely turning into 20-something toddlers who long for our daily naps.
But are they actually good for us?
Having a nap always seems like a better idea until you wake up after one and feel like the groggiest girl in the world.
According to the Sleep Foundation, there’s a reason why we don’t feel as good as new after a nap.
We feel groggy after a nap due to something called sleep inertia. This is a “temporary feeling of disorientation”.
This can impact your mental performance as you wake up, but the groggy feeling doesn’t tend to last long.
Luckily, you don’t have to keep up your daily nap because of this as there are plenty of ways to reduce it.
One thing you should do is time your nap. Don’t do what I do and close your eyes for ten minutes and then wake up two hours later.
Set an alarm for a reasonable amount of time like 20 or 30 minutes rather than sleeping for as long as you want.
Another thing you can do is wash your face, particularly with cold water. This will instantly wake you up and get rid of that groggy feeling.
Or you could channel your inner Lorelai Gilmore and treat yourself to a giant cup of coffee after you wake up.
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