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Recent research suggests that taking a twenty-minute nap after workout might be beneficial for your health. What are the benefits of napping? In this article , we will answer this question with scientific facts.
The article will explore the health benefits of a post-workout nap, how long it lasts, and how to make it more effective by understanding your body’s needs. It also discusses how important a good night’s sleep is for your body and why it becomes even more important during a workout. There are many benefits to a nap after a workout that range from natural, to feeling good and helping muscles recover from strenuous activities.
Benefits That Sleep Accomplishes
When you work out, your muscles are put under a great deal of strain. The activity causes the body’s muscles to decompress and come back to normal. However, this process is long and takes a long time due to the fatigue of the muscle tissues. Sleep allows the muscles to heal and rest up for another round at work tomorrow.
During sleep, the body repairs muscle that was hit by an injury or contractions during exercise. Sleep is not only important for muscles, but it is also essential to the growth of new muscle. The body repairs and re-builds tissues when sleep occurs.
Sleep serves as a restorative procedure for the body and nervous system as well. A nap after a workout can help you recover from intense activity. It’s natural, it feels good, and it will help your muscles recover from strenuous activities.
If Sleep Is Beneficial, Can A Nap After Workout Be Helpful
There are several potential benefits for taking a nap after workouts. Below are some of the benefits:
Muscle recovery
Sleep helps the body repair damaged muscles. While you are sleeping, your body releases growth hormones that can help with muscle rebuilding. The post-workout nap will help you feel great and can support muscle recovery.
Relaxation
A nap also serves as a form of relaxation for your tired muscles after a workout session. It’s common to feel exhausted after a hard workout session, especially if you have spent all day at the gym or doing some strenuous physical activity outside. A nap makes you feel refreshed and relaxed, especially after a long and hard workout.
Energy
Sleep is where most of the energy in your body comes from. The post-workout nap will help you feel great and can support muscle recovery. When you sleep, the body has a chance to recharge, which can make it last longer throughout the day. That’s why taking naps is considered one of the best ways to have enough energy to get through your day.
Assist With Sleep Deprivation
If you are running behind on restful sleep, a nap can make a big difference. Sleep deprivation can develop into a major issue in your day. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to several health problems including weight gain, depression, and fatigue. A good night’s rest will make all the difference in the world.
Improved Mental Alertness
Studies have shown that people who take a nap between the hours of 1 pm and 3 pm perform better on cognitive tests when compared to those who didn’t. Taking a post workout nap will help you feel great and can support mental awareness
Assists with physical fatigue
A post-workout nap also assists with reducing physical fatigue. When you can’t sleep because of fatigue, a quick 20-minute nap will make all the difference in the world to help recharge your nervous system. A post workout nap will help you feel great and can support muscle recovery.
Drawbacks of A Nap After Workouts
There are a few drawbacks that need to be considered before you jump on the napping bandwagon. Below we will explore some potential cons of taking a nap after workouts.
Increased grogginess
If you take too long of a nap during the day, you can become much more groggy and miss out on the benefits of a short 20-minute nap. By taking too long, your body can shut down into a deep sleep that is hard to wake up from. This is referred to as Sleep inertia and can take away the benefits of slipping in a nap after working out. Sleep inertia is when you get groggy after waking up and it takes some time to fully wake up, move around and get going again. If you are driving while being sleep deprived, this can become a big issue.
Low Quality Naps
Due to the increased endorphin levels produced by exercise, you may have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep. This can lead to mistakes or unneeded stress when staying awake. You should be careful not to take too long or make any mistakes during this stage of sleepiness.
Potential to Disrupt Nighttime Sleeping
If you take a nap after a workout, you may be inclined to fall asleep right away, but find that it is harder to fall back to sleep after waking up. This can cause a rouse cycle where you are then awake and then falling back into sleep. This is because the body takes some time to go into deep sleep. The nap will help your body recharge during the day, but make sure that you are getting enough rest afterwards by going to bed at the same time each night.
How To Find The Right Post-Workout Nap Length?
Among napping experts, it is commonly agreed upon that 20 – 30 minutes is the optimum length of time to take a nap after a workout session.
However, there are several factors that might cause a nap to last longer or shorter.
Age
One of the most important factors that contribute to the length of a post-workout nap is age. The older you get, the longer it will take for your body to fall asleep. In addition, the younger you are, the faster your body will fall asleep.
Sleep Sensitivity
Another important factor is your sleep sensitivity. If you are a napper, you will be more susceptible to falling asleep quickly than someone who never naps. For those that have never taken naps before, it may take a few minutes longer for them to fall asleep. This is because these individuals often have lower sleep sensitivity levels when compared to chronic nappers.
Environment
Another important factor to consider is your environment. The more noise you have in the environment, the higher the chances of you not being able to fall asleep quickly. In addition, physical comfort and warmth are also very important factors to consider when it comes to falling asleep quickly after a nap. So, if your post-workout nap is taken in a cold room or with limited noise, it’s only natural that you will fall asleep faster and longer than usual, since these two factors can help deepen your sleep sooner.
To make sure you do not nap for a longer period of time, always set an alarm to ensure you stay within the 20 – 30 minutes sleep window.
How Long Will It Take To Fall Asleep After A Workout?
If you are someone who regularly takes naps, this will generally depend on how deeply you need to sleep after a workout. If your body is tired from physical exertion and overexertion, it might take longer than usual for you to fall asleep after working out.
Additional Tips to Make the Most of Your Post Workout Nap
Below are some additional tips to get the most benefit out of your nap following workouts.
Time of Day
The time of day you take your nap is important. Our bodies typically have a window from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM where our energy naturally starts to drop. It is during this time that most people find their performance at its lowest. Knowing how much sleep you need to get in daily will help you determine when exactly it is the best time to take your nap.
Stretch Your Muscles Before A Nap
Make sure to stretch your muscles before going to sleep to ensure that you do not cramp from a nap. You will find that as soon as your body relaxes while you are napping, it can be very easy to cramp up. Stretching is a great way to prevent this and maintain muscle function.
Take A Hot Bath
A hot bath can also help you relax and get you in a better mood before napping. This is because it helps increase your circulation which allows for greater comfort after the workout. Even a warm shower before your nap can help you relax and ease you into a nice post-workout sleep.
Stay Hydrated
Prior to an after workout nap, make sure your body is well hydrated. This will help you feel refreshed during your nap and is recommended by most experts. On average, the body loses 2% of its fluids through sweat during workouts. This can add up to quite a bit of fluid loss during long workouts and it’s important to keep yourself hydrated in order to not only ward off illness, but also get a better nap.
Just like any other activity, taking naps after working out is not one-size-fits-all.
Conclusion
The benefits of taking a nap after working out are plentiful. From boosting your recovery to improving alertness, the post-workout nap is an excellent way to rest and recharge after workouts.
For most people, an 20 – 30 minute post workout nap will give you all the time you need to get some much needed rest and relaxation. However, it is important to keep your body warm and comfortable with a hot bath and stretching prior to napping.
We hope this article has helped you learn more about the different benefits of post-workout naps, as well as how to take the most effective one.
Please comment below if you have any questions. We’d love to answer them. And make sure to share this article so that you know where to go to find more useful information about how to take the best post-workout nap.
Stay healthy and happy! And always remember, one thing that is better than the indulgence of chocolate, is the knowledge of how to get a good night sleep.
