It’s a trap that we all fall for: “Only five more hours till iftar, let me take a nap.”
Yes, it's that time of the year when we allow ourselves to take a five-hour nap, but can a five-hour nap do you any good?
The answer is a little unpleasant to hear, but no, a five-hour nap isn’t such a good idea.
The temptation to fall asleep until it is time to break your fast is not only present, but usually strong, especially considering the decline in energy you feel during the day. This tiredness is best alleviated with short power naps of no more than 20 minutes that revitalize without letting your body fall into the REM sleep cycle. If a person enters this sleep cycle and is awoken before the cycle has naturally ended, the body will likely emerge from sleep more tired than before the nap. As a result, you wake up groggy and cranky.
If a measly 20 minutes won’t do it for you, it is possible to take a number of short naps but break up the time between them with productive activities. Many employers in the region will reduce working hours during the holy month, so take advantage of the extra free time in the day to do the errands you have been putting off all year.
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