

The Perfect Nap: Sleeping Is a Mix of Art and Science - tpatke
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323932604579050990895301888.html#project=SLEEP0902&articleTabs=article

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kadabra9
I started experimenting with different nap schedules when I found myself too
worn out after work to get to the gym, run errands, or do other things I had
planned to do that afternoon/evening. It became a huge bottleneck in my
productivity until I started to get it right because I would either nap too
long, or at the wrong time, which would throw me into a useless haze for most
of the night.

When I started taking shorter, more controlled naps(similar to the suggested
in the article) I found it much easier to come out of the nap refreshed, and
not nearly as tempted to roll over for another 15 minutes of sleep (as we all
know where that leads).

I used to avoid naps, primarily because the block of sleep wasn't worth being
up all hours of the night and dragging myself out of a funk once I woke up,
but if you start playing around with different schedules and durations that
work best for you, they can be very helpful for focus and productivity.

