How To Nap & Not Feel Like A Zombie After

Naps are the BEST — just ask any baby you know. As glorious as a little snooze might be though, if you sleep a little too long, you can end up feeling like a soulless corpse roaming the earth.

Usually, when you wake up groggy from a nap, it's because you've drifted into the "deeper stage" of sleep, so your body feels interrupted, says Dr Shelby Harris, PsyD, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center. "A shorter nap keeps you in lighter sleep, but it is sufficient to help you feel refreshed when you wake up," Dr. Harris says. And even though naps can be delicious, if you feel like you have to take a nap every day, that could be a sign that you have a sleep disorder, she says.

If you're one of those people who can just nap wherever you are, bless you, but it ain't that easy for a lot of people. Napping takes technique, and experts swear by it. The basics: Make it quick, plan it early, and get comfy. Here's how to take the perfect nap and wake up with energy after.