In order to maintain a stable nighttime rest schedule, it is recommended to sleep no more than 30 minutes during the day. It is also not recommended to take a nap after 2 p.m. Talar Mukhtarian, associate professor of mental health at Warwick Medical School, told The Conversation.

Daytime naps are considered an effective way to increase attention, improve mood, strengthen memory and increase productivity. However, for some people, this practice prevents them from falling asleep at night. In addition, sometimes daytime naps do not promote alertness, but lead to lethargy and disorientation.

Mukhtarian explained that most people experience a natural decrease in performance in the first half of the day, usually between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. This is not only due to a heavy lunch - the internal biological clock, or circadian rhythms, are “sharpened” for the cyclical change of brain activity.

According to the expert, with the appearance of daytime sleepiness can nap, but the duration of such a rest should not exceed 30 minutes. If you “delay” with awakening, the body will go into a state of slow sleep, because of which it will be much more difficult to wake up. In addition, after too long a day's sleep, the feeling of lethargy may persist for up to an hour.

Mukhtarian added that the ideal time for an afternoon nap is before 14:00. Falling asleep later may delay the natural evening fatigue.