Should you nap before a workout? Or should you nap after a workout? This was one of the questions asked to me by a good friend and loyal reader.
The answer is nap before a workout. End of article.
Yeah, right.
If you’ve been reading my material for any length of time, you realize that the answer is far more complex. If you’re thinking of taking a power nap before the gym, keep reading this article to see if that makes sense for you.
Original source: here.
What is a Nap?
It seems like a simple question to answer, but at what point does a nap turn into a full sleep? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a nap is a “short sleep.”
Well, that’s not very helpful, is it?
So let’s turn to the world’s foremost authority on sleeping (in fact, the man who discovered REM sleep: William Dement). According to his book, The Promise of Sleep, anything under 4 hours to be a nap. Anything over 4 hours is sleep.
What is the Effect of a Nap Before a Workout vs. After a Workout?
Napping affects different people in different ways. For some people, it energizes them, and for other people, it really sedates them.
If napping has an energizing effect on you, then do it before a workout at the gym. If napping has a sedating effect on you, then do it after a workout.
Chances are if you’re chronically sleep deprived, napping will have an energizing effect on you. But if you get the necessary amount of sleep, a nap may have a sedating effect. This specific article is not about how to sleep better, but if you’d like to delve into that, just check out this article that I wrote.
However, this is a general rule, and you’ll have to test it out for yourself. Here’s how to test:
On one day, try taking a power nap before the gym, and see how your performance is. Do you feel sluggish? Groggy? Or are you kicking butt and taking names?
On another day, try taking a power nap after the gym, and see how you feel.
Repeat this test a few times, so that you have enough data to go on, and make valid conclusions.
Some people wonder “why nap after a workout?” And the answer is simply for enhanced recovery. During sleep, you get a “shot” of growth hormone. Growth hormone is extra useful right after a workout, because it helps you regenerate.
What Kind of Workout?
The other thing that you need to consider is what kind of workout do you have planned? If it’s a workout that requires a lot of motivation (for example, you’re going for a new personal record, or it’s something that you really need to psych yourself up for), then a nap before the gym is probably not a good idea, because it may be too sedating.
Whereas if it’s just a workout where you “punch the clock” (ie, you’re not going for any records, and you’re not getting close to muscular failure) the timing of the nap may not matter all that much.
For How Long Should You Nap Before the Gym?
I believe that the body tightly regulates how much sleep is required. So nap for as little or as much as you like before the gym.
If your schedule allows, don’t use an alarm clock. Go for as long as is necessary.
Again, if you’re chronically sleep-deprived, your idea of a “nap” may be 4 hours. But if you get a good quantity and quality of sleep, your nap may only be 20-30 minutes.
The reason that for the sleep-deprived person, 4 hours may be beneficial is because with chronic sleep deprivation, you create kind of a debt. You basically pay the price for not sleeping adequately, so your body and brain start to rob you. You daydream more, your thoughts are slower, you have less energy. Why? Because your brain is desperately asking for sleep. And you’re not giving it the sleep it needs. Jerk 😉
So even if your naps end up being 4 hours initially, over time, as you repay sleep debt, they’ll get shorter and shorter, but they’ll be just as restful. I write about this in more detail in my article on what happens when you sleep.
