Health Farm

-- Avoid deep sleep, says Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert and author of How To Sleep Well.

That means setting your alarm to allow for a 30-to-40-minute nap – enough for light sleeping but just short of the time required to enter deep sleep. Don’t go there – waking up in deep sleep makes you feel worse than you did before taking a nap.

The good doctor also advises the best time to nap is during the body’s natural dip in the afternoon, between about 2pm and 4pm – any later you’re likely to eat into your night-time sleep. And that’s the point – a good night’s sleep should ensure you don’t need an afternoon nap.

Sleep signals

Afternoon naps are lovely but could signal illness.

A new study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, suggests that napping during the day could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s. Equally, some people are simply wired for a little extra sleep. But researchers warn that people sleeping during the daytime, when they didn’t before, is a likely indicator of an underlying condition.

What’s more, another study suggests naps are linked to an increased risk of mortality.