Doctor Explains How Long You Should Nap For To Not Feel Groggy

There are few things better in life than a solid midday kip, but equally there are few worse than the total disorientation you feel when you wake up not knowing what year you're in.

So it's a good thing that we have Dr Karan Raj on hand to explain just how long we're meant to sleep for in order to avoid feeling groggy when we come to.

The TikTok medic has been sharing his wisdom with his thousands of followers over the past few months, and has now added to his canon of advice with some tips on getting some shut eye. And there's a fine balance to be had.

In the clip he posted to his account, Dr Raj says: "I wanna tell you the secret to the perfect length of a nap and the best time to nap.

"The 'Goldilocks nap'. Nap for 90 minutes. Ninety minutes allows you to cycle through all the sleep stages - that's one cycle of sleep.

"Any longer or shorter you risk sleep inertia, that feeling of grogginess.

"The best time to nap is between 1pm and 4pm. Sleeping any later will drop your adenosine levels too low so you won't feel sleepy at night.

"Adenosine is a sleep molecule, when it's high, we feel sleepy, when it's low, we feel alert. Sleeping reduces adenosine levels."

TikTok/Dr Karan Raj

So there you have it. Follow these simple rules and everything should be tickety-boo.

And should you be enjoying a kip in your bed rather than the sofa, once you wake up, you might want to take heed of another piece of wisdom from Dr Raj.

In a recent video, he explained the reality behind our sweaty bedsheets. Yikes.

He warns: "Stop making your bed first thing in the morning, it's going to keep you healthy.

"Making your bed in the morning traps dust mites that have accumulated over night. These microscopic predators, which are less than a millimetre long, feed on the scales of human skin and thrive in moist environments.

"When we sleep at night, our bodies become warm and sweaty, making them prime targets for these mites to feed on.

"They will leave behind excretions which can give us asthma or allergy-like symptoms.

"So making your bed in the morning traps all this moisture and provides a home for 1.5 million of these bad boys."

Adding: "Instead leave your bed messy just for a while. It exposes these mites to air and sunlight, which dehydrates them and causes them to die."

And the good doctor was backed up by cleaning expert Mrs. D who shared a video explaining the importance of allowing your bed to 'breathe' in the morning.

Topics: Science, Health, tiktok

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom