Yes, napping helps with lack of sleep by improving alertness, mood, and cognitive function, but the key is a short, well-timed "power nap" (10-30 mins) in the early afternoon to avoid grogginess and nighttime sleep disruption, acting as a temporary fix for sleep deprivation. Longer or late naps can interfere with nighttime sleep, so they aren't a substitute for adequate nightly rest.
Napping has shown promise as an intervention to mitigate impairments caused by sleep deprivation. Longer naps, spanning 2–4 h, reduce deficits in alertness and vigilant attention [46–50] as well as some aspects of higher-order cognition such as working memory [48, 51, 52] and logical reasoning [53].
So no, having your eyes closed in bed does not count as sleep, but it's not like it's not beneficial either. Quiet wakefulness is an intermediary step for all of us to get to sleep on a healthy schedule, unless we are accustomed to being so exhausted we fall asleep within seconds of laying down.
In most cases, two hours of sleep is better than none. Not getting enough sleep will impact your energy levels, focus, mood, and decision-making skills — just to name a few things — so the more sleep you can get, the better.
Short answer: Yes -- but only under strict conditions. Multiple daily naps can substitute for nocturnal sleep in the short term for some people (polyphasic sleep), yet long-term sustainability, cognitive performance, and health depend on total sleep time, circadian alignment, consistency, and individual differences.
The 2-3-4 nap rule is a popular baby sleep guideline for babies around 6 months and older, suggesting wake windows: 2 hours after waking until the first nap, 3 hours between the first and second nap, and 4 hours after the second nap until bedtime, creating a predictable 2-nap day for better rest. It helps structure a baby's day with longer awake times, aiding the transition to fewer naps, but it's a flexible framework, not a strict rule, as every baby's sleep needs vary.
Most people know that sleeping in stops and starts doesn't feel as refreshing. Interrupted or fragmented sleep can contribute to insomnia, sleep deprivation, daytime sleepiness, and the numerous other potential consequences of insufficient sleep.
The koala is famous for sleeping around 20-22 hours a day, which is about 90% of the day, due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves that requires extensive digestion. Other extremely sleepy animals include the sloth (up to 20 hours) and the brown bat (around 20 hours), with some snakes like the ball python also sleeping up to 23 hours daily.
The 3-2-1 bedtime method is a simple sleep hygiene strategy: stop eating 3 hours before bed, stop working 2 hours before bed, and stop using screens (phones, tablets, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping your body transition to rest by reducing stimulants and digestive load for better sleep quality. A more detailed version adds 10 hours (no caffeine) and 0 (no snoozing) for a 10-3-2-1-0 rule.
Yes, the 8-minute Navy SEAL nap is a real, popular power-napping technique popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, involving elevating your legs above your heart for about 8-10 minutes to achieve quick alertness and energy without grogginess, by improving circulation and promoting relaxation for a fast reset. While not a replacement for full sleep, it's used to combat fatigue during intense schedules.
closing your eyes to the value of sleep
Resting with your eyes closed can calm your mind and help your muscles to relax. Your blood pressure drops and your heart rate slows. Resting can also: reduce stress.
[15] A complete sleep cycle takes roughly 90 to 110 minutes. The first REM period is short, and as the night progresses, longer periods of REM and decreased time in deep sleep (NREM) occur.
The 30-60-90 nap rule suggests ideal nap lengths are under 30 minutes for alertness, around 90 minutes for a full sleep cycle, while 30-60 minute naps risk grogginess (sleep inertia) from waking during deep sleep, though some find 30-45 minutes helpful for resetting; the goal is to align your nap with sleep stages, avoiding the disruptive middle ground to get energy without feeling worse.
What Are the Benefits of NASA Power Naps. The original 1995 NASA study found that pilots who napped for 26 minutes experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance on the job, compared to those who didn't nap.
Jon Bernthal ('The Punisher', 'The Walking Dead') has no time for those who take a snooze during the day. 💬 "I don't trust people who take naps," he admitted.
Our circadian rhythm functions by light and dark cycles and therefore an ideal sleep time is 10pm – 6am give or take ½ an hour either way so a full 8 hours of sleep is achieved each night. Even if you are retired or not working, this is an essential component of good sleeping habits.
Signs of poor core sleep (deep, restorative sleep) include waking up foggy, daytime fatigue/energy crashes, poor concentration, irritability, frequent illness, memory issues, and mood swings, indicating your brain and body aren't fully repairing and consolidating memories. You might also experience increased sugar cravings, slow muscle recovery, and a weakened immune system.
In his piece, he revealed that through his years of research, he's found that rumination is the biggest thing that causes poor sleep. He says that being worried about something at night has affected his own ability to fall asleep.
The longest time a human being has gone without sleep is 11 days and 25 minutes. The world record was set by American 17-year-old Randy Gardner in 1963. When the experiment ended, Gardner had been awake for 264 hours and 25 minutes.
Among the most rested countries surveyed by Sleep Cycle, an app that tracks how much shuteye people are getting, New Zealand comes top with the average Kiwi clocking up in excess of 7.5 hours per night. Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK and Belgium all rank highly for sleep, too, with Ireland close behind.
While every organ in the body is affected by poor sleep, the brain takes the biggest hit, showing signs of dysfunction faster than any other system. Over time, the heart, liver, and immune system also begin to show stress, which can increase your risk of chronic illness.
If lying down without sleeping feels beneficial, then there isn't necessarily harm. That's unless wanting but being unable to sleep is making you frustrated and even more awake. Sleep experts suggest creating a strong association between bedroom and sleep, not bedroom and wakefulness.
Fragmented sleep happens when your rest is repeatedly interrupted, preventing your brain and body from reaching the deep stages needed for real recovery.