Presents opened? Christmas lunch demolished? One too many Bucks Fizz consumed before noon? By this point, there's only one thing left on the Christmas Day agenda: collapsing on the sofa, whacking on a festive film and snoring before the opening credits are done.
Post-Christmas dinner naps have become something of a national sport and frankly, it's not hard to see why (question: can you class napping a hobby? Because it's one of ours, honestly). Between the carb-heavy meal, booze (if you're choosing to imbibe) and a full day of socialising, food comas are real. Plus, if you've spent the day bouncing between relatives or hosting duties, that social battery will be firmly in the red.
It doesn't help that December is notoriously brutal for sleep: one recent survey from Barker and Stonehouse unearthed that 80% of us battle with sleep problems during the Christmas season, thanks to a combination of diet changes, stress and late nights.
So when the plates are cleared and the novelty socks are firmly on, a nap can feel not only tempting, but essential. The question is, how long should that Christmas Day nap actually be? Because while a quick snooze can leave you refreshed, a too-long kip risks ruining your evening, your bedtime and possibly Boxing Day too.
To get a definitive answer, Cosmopolitan UK spoke to sleep therapist Tracy Hannigan to find out the ideal nap length – and how to snooze without sabotaging your sleep later on.
How long should the perfect nap last?
According to Hannigan, the optimal time that a nap should last is around half an hour – so be sure to set your alarm before you doze off!
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“An ideal length for a holiday nap would be between 20 and 30 minutes,” she explains. “Less than that and the nap may not be refreshing enough, but longer than that and the nap may reduce a person’s overall sleep drive and could make sleep more challenging that night.” Meaning, you’ll only feel all the more drained on Boxing Day, when part two of the catch up with family, friends and neighbours often commences.
When should I take my Christmas day nap?
“Ideally, a Christmas day nap would happen in the early afternoon so that there is plenty of activity and wakefulness still to come,” says Hannigan. The main reason for this is to promote great sleep in the evening and ultimately, not ruin your usual sleep routine. “But as many people have a large lunch it may have to be pushed a bit later, but ideally no later than 4pm.”
Experts at And So To Bed say the best tip for taking naps is all about creating the right environment for sleep. You should try and nap in a quiet, dark place with a comfortable room temperature and few distractions. Ideally, you should be taking naps in your bed because your body is already used to sleeping there.
So there you have it, if you're feeling snoozy on Christmas day why not try a little 30-minute siesta? To give you that second wind for a night of boogieing to Slade, or watching Christmas specials with the fam (the choice is yours).
Chloe Bowen is Cosmopolitan UK’s former Features Intern. She holds undergraduate and masters degrees in journalism, and ever since joining the Cosmo team, Chloe writes about everything from sex and dating to mental health, culture, body image and books. In her spare time, she’s likely to be cooking up tasty vegan food, in a yoga class, binge-watching crime documentaries or going on long walks with an over-priced oat milk flat white.
