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

Think about how long it takes your phone to charge to full when you plug it in at empty versus at 60%.

Also think about how you’ll pull you phone off the charger when it’s got enough battery to get you to the next time you can charge it. 

Same principles apply. Your body doesn’t need a full rest from empty, and it also doesn’t need to rest to full.

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