How a power nap is good for your health and the best time to take them

Power naps are good for health if they are short and taken early in the afternoon

Napping has long been a recovery technique, with famous practitioners including Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Bill Clinton.

Decades ago, when I was a medical student, I perfected the art of power napping. Afternoon lectures in tiered halls darkened for hour-long slide shows were the perfect environment for a snooze. 

The lecturer’s drone was like the sound of the ocean in the distance — the ideal background for a 10-minute shut-eye — as I laid my head on a robust desk.