Eli5: Why do we sometimes feel more refreshed after a short nap than a full night’s sleep, even though we’ve slept for fewer hours?
In: Biology
The trick to feeling refreshed when sleeping and waking is to wake at the end of a sleep cycle. Many of us get up with an alarm in the morning and it disturbs us in the middle of a sleep cycle, which can leave you feeling groggy and lethargic.
A nap however, typically lasts for one sleep cycle and our body naturally wakes up at the end of the cycle because it knows it is not time to fully sleep. This leaves you feeling refreshed and more alert.
If you were able to perfectly time your morning wake ups to coincide with your natural sleep cycle then you might experience a refreshed and alert morning.
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