Why do naps last 1 – 2 hours, but we can sleep for 8 hours straight at night?

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I’ve just noticed, that when I take a nap, my body wakes myself up within 1 – 2 hours. This is probably true for everyone else too. But our bodies allow us to sleep for 8 hours at night. Why can’t our bodies nap for a full 8 hours without waking up? How does our body know this? How does our body differentiate between napping vs a nights sleep?

In: Biology

25 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

All these answers are close but not on par…

You body has sleep and rest cycles. 20 Min and 90 Min

It’s easy to take a 20 min nap to refresh your body. Does not do much for the brain but helps the body relax. after 20 min your body wakes up easy and refreshed.

A 90 min nap is 1 natural sleep cycle, after 90 min you can wake refreshed in both mind and body.

This is why 7.5 to 8 hours sleep is best for most people, it’s 5 complete sleep cycles.

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