Rest Assured With These Tips For A Perfect Nap

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You may dream of taking a quick power nap to keep yourself going, but how long you close your eyes and when you snooze could make all the difference.

Specialists say naps are an exact science. Dr. Daniel Erichsen of the Sleep Center at St. Barnabas Hospital said the length of a nap can greatly alter your mood, CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported.

Ten- to 20-minute naps will boost your alertness and energy, he said. Half-hour naps, however, might make you groggy as you sink into a deep sleep.

Naps of about an hour will help your ability to remember facts, faces and names, Erichsen said. And 90 minutes of sleep will get you into rapid eye movement (REM), in which you'll dream and have heightened procedural memory and creativity, he said.

He recommended not taking naps too late in the day. Experts say the perfect time to rest is between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories