Nap paradox: Why a short nap can sometimes leave you feeling more tired

A short nap can improve alertness, but waking during deeper sleep may leave you groggy. A doctor explains how nap duration, timing and sleep deprivation affect sleep inertia.

New Delhi: A short daytime nap can improve alertness, mood and concentration when you are tired. Yet, instead of feeling refreshed, some people wake up groggy and more tired than before. The reason may have less to do with the nap itself and more to do with the stage of sleep from which you wake up.

Dr Ganesh Viswanathan, Consultant & Head, Clinical Quality & Innovations, Department of Internal Medicine, KIMSHEALTH, Thiruvananthapuram, explains why some naps can leave you feeling sluggish and how the timing and duration of a nap can affect how you feel afterwards.

When a nap leaves you groggy

The heavy, disoriented feeling after waking from a nap is known as sleep inertia. It can happen when you wake up during a deeper stage of sleep, leaving you temporarily sluggish and less alert.

Sleep progresses through........

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