Most of us have already felt this, you say to yourself: “just a quick nap” and imagine waking up refreshed. Instead, you open your eyes feeling like you’ve been unplugged from the wall… dizzy, head pounding, maybe your stomach’s doing flips.
According to Waiz Wasey, a sleep specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, the reason is simple and there are a few ways a nap can betray you.
Whats’s behind that failed nap
There are a few reason why taking a nap is not always a good idea:
- Sometimes it’s sleep inertia, a groggy, cement-brain feeling you get when you wake up in the wrong part of your sleep cycle.
- Sometimes it’s sleep apnea messing with your oxygen levels.
- And sometimes, it’s your lunch fighting back through gastroesophageal reflux, especially if you went big on fatty foods or acidic stuff that ends in heartburn.
Here’s the timing problem: your sleep cycle takes about 90 minutes. You go from light sleep to deep sleep to the REM phase (the one where your brain’s busy organizing memories and moods). Wake up in the middle, and your body’s like, “What just happened?” — cue dizziness, nausea, and headache.
If you’ve got sleep disorders like sleep apnea, the crash can hit even harder. Oxygen dips while you’re sleeping can leave you feeling wrecked, and in some cases even trigger vomiting or a panic attack.
Food is a big part of the reason
If you crash after a heavy, fatty, or acidic meal and you’re basically gastroesophageal reflux to step in. That’s when stomach acid sneaks up into your esophagus and says hi in the form of heartburn. Not exactly the wake-up you were hoping for.
Even smaller snacks can cause trouble if they’re loaded with fatty foods or acidity. Eating heavy before sleeping is not going to just wrecking your nap, it will mess with your overall sleep quality.
The good part is that is not difficult to fix. The problem has an easy solution: Stick with a healthy diet, stay on top of your hydration, and give your stomach a little time to chill before you flop on the couch.
Getting the timing right
Your body loves routine. A sleep cycle is about an hour and a half, and each stage has a job, from fixing muscles to recharging your brain.
If you want to hap a nap that actually helps, then you have to keep it under 20 minutes so you stay in light sleep. Or go for the full 90 minutes so you finish the cycle, REM phase included. The worst is waking up in the middle of deep sleep because that’s when the grogginess hits like a truck.
And here’s something people forget: if you nap right after an intense workout, that build-up of lactic acid in your muscles can leave you sore, dizzy, and headache-y when you wake.
How to nap like a pro
Avoiding naps would be the best option, but they can be awesome too if you set them up right. Here’s the game plan:
- Less than 20 minutes, or the full 90—no in-between.
- Avoid heavy foods and acidic meals before resting.
- Drink enough water—low hydration makes nausea and headaches worse.
- If you have sleep disorders like sleep apnea, get medical advice before making naps a habit.
- Nap in a dark, quiet, comfy spot so your body can actually relax.
The right nap feels like magic (I can relate). The wrong nap feels like punishment. If you know your timing, watch your meals, and listen to your body, you’ll wake up happy and refreshed instead of sick, tired, confused, or even grumpy.