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Allow Napping

Tags

Social-Emotional Learning ^Extra-curricular/At-Home All Ages Strategy

Skills

Self-regulation Working Memory Attention

Allow Napping

If your child is often tired or has difficulty staying focused after studying for a few hours

How To Apply It!

  1. Short naps can be an effective strategy to replenish your energy and become more efficient, particularly if you tend to lose focus easily.
  2. A 20 minute nap can help you feel refreshed and invigorated when you are energy level is low or you are having difficulty concentrating. However, everybody is different, and you want to be sure that naps leave you feeling refreshed and more mentally alert, not less so.
  3. Avoid longer naps, since you can wake up feeling groggy and less energetic. They also could interfere with your sleeping an appropriate amount at night. Optimal nap time might be 10-20 minutes unless you have time for a full 90 minute sleep cycle.
  4. Parents want to to be sure that students are not using naps simply as a way of avoiding or procrastinating doing their work.
  5. For students, the best time for a nap is usually after school or before or after dinner and not too close to bedtime when it could interfere with a full night sleep.
  6. Be sure to set an alarm so the nap does not extend into several hours or interfere with homework and normal sleep patterns.
  7. Nap in a dark, quiet environment so your nap is most effective.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Studies show that short naps reset short term memory and help students retain information. Naps also improve decision-making, creativity and sensory perception. However, it is important to take naps of appropriate length and time of day to ensure they boost productivity rather than making you groggy and inefficient.