A perfect nap

TAKING a 20 minute afternoon nap after lunch is beneficial according to an expert who warns that a long siesta sleep brings little reward. With the warm weather making everybody feel a bit more sleepy, Dr. Nohemi Rodriquez head of neurophysiology at Elche's Vinalopo Hospital suggests that a post-lunch snooze should be '20 minutes or less' and is 'better in the early afternoon in a quiet dark area with a low temperature'.

The specialist says that a short sleep can bring health benefits: “It reduces fatigue, increases energy and performance and boosts a person's mood, alertness, memory, and reaction capacity.”

Dr. Rodriquez adds that sleeping longer creates 'sleep inertia' which gives the body 'enough time to enter a deeper slowwake sleep' which makes people feel groggy when they wake up.