View Full Version : Power Naps
rusmuscle
01-16-07, 11:54 am
Are naps for like 30-1hr before workout beneficial?
Any of you take those?
I didnt sleep well today, and since I have a half-day at work, I decided I will take a 1 hour nap to make up the time.
DanCling
01-16-07, 12:07 pm
yo man, personally i think that 20 minute power nap is ideal. anything beyond that i feel a little sluggish. i'd say take a nap like an hour and 45 min. before your workout, take in all the supps/nutrition you need, then hit the gym
GFH1911
01-16-07, 12:16 pm
Power naps have saved my ass when I had early morning classes and lifted in the afternoons. Your mileage may vary but for me it was a nice way to recharge when I was feeling sluggish.
A power nap of an hour will probably leave you sluggish as DanCling says. The reason for this is due to your brain activity when you sleep. There are stages when you are in very deep sleep and stages when you are closer to being awake. After about half an hour you are in the first "close to awake" stage, and after this you will go back in to a deep sleep for a couple of hours.
There are plenty of websites and ebooks out there that will explain this better than I can, but basically you want to wake from your nap when your brain is already most active, whereas waking suddenly from deep sleep makes you feel sluggish.
A power nap of an hour will probably leave you sluggish as DanCling says. The reason for this is due to your brain activity when you sleep. There are stages when you are in very deep sleep and stages when you are closer to being awake. After about half an hour you are in the first "close to awake" stage, and after this you will go back in to a deep sleep for a couple of hours.
There are plenty of websites and ebooks out there that will explain this better than I can, but basically you want to wake from your nap when your brain is already most active, whereas waking suddenly from deep sleep makes you feel sluggish.
I would definately agree... if you decide to get a bit of rest to help renergize yourself keep it between 15-20 minutes. Any more then that and you will probably let your body get into that state of mind where it wants to rest for numerous hours and trying to wake up can take quite a while. If performed correctly Power Naps work extremely well but like I said dont sleep for to long or you might find yourself always being tired around that same time of the day
rusmuscle
01-16-07, 12:34 pm
alright thanks guys. 30 minutes it is.
Ho yes man! I love my power naps! I sleep a good 8-9hours a night yet I still will have my powernaps if I got the time to... Rest is good for the body!
When I started getting into lifting and showing some results, one of my friends teased me for not sleeping, but doing "power napping reps" all night long. I always pictured me laying there dead asleep and suddenly sitting up yelling "Three!" and falling right back asleep, much to the bewilderment of mywife and dog. I still can't hear the word "power nap" without snickering because of it.
In all sincerity, I was never able to nap until I started lifting, and I feel it helps, regardless of before or after.
^ Hit your myspace link, your doin good buddy..
just got up from a power nap now, although I hit the snooze button one two many times leaving me a little bit sluggish.
Haha, that's happened to me too many times. Snooze is my worst enemy.
Hell, I power nap any chance I get. It's like a hobby of mine. I have been guilty of sleeping for up to 2 or 3 hours instead of a power nap. though I've definitely felt worse after them. Like everybody else said, stick to around 20-30 minutes.