More and more employees are spending a significant part of their afternoon staring blankly at the computer screen, or pinching themselves to stay awake during an afternoon staff meeting. And let's just face it that doesn't work at all. Most of us are drowsy by 4 and we start gulping copious of coffee or tea just to remain focused. Power naps are a great way to give yourself a shot of physical and mental energy in the middle of your day. Even when you get a good night's sleep, sometimes your body just needs a rest in the middle of the day.
What is a Power Nap?
A power nap is typically a 20 to 45 minute nap taken in the afternoon. A power nap can be adequately refreshing, and at times more restful than a full night's slumber. The body seems to be designed for this, as most people's bodies naturally become more tired in the afternoon, about 8 hours after we wake up. Occasional nap takers average two to four naps each month. More napping occurs in the winter months, less in the summer.
When to power nap?
Most scientific research on restorative nap indicates that the best time for a short doze is at midday. Some people take it before lunch but most will wait until right after lunch, at this time digestion compounds with time of the day. This is a point in your circadian cycle (your body natural sleep regulation rythm) where you already have a natural tendency to fall asleep. Don't delay your nap, napping after 4 or 6 PM might degrade your night sleep or reduce your sleep quality.
What are its benefits?
Benefits of power napping are numerous. Some of them include:
- Power nap improves your productivity and alertness.
- It improves the functions of the brain and your reflexes. Napping also strengthens your memory.
- It strengthens your consciousness.
- It helps you to take better decisions.
- It improves your mood.
- A power nap is a much better choice than a coffee in order to continue your activities and to reclaim your forces for the remainder of the day.
- Power nap is a pleasant and powerful tool against stress. Research has found that stress hormone levels were lower in those who took stress-reducing actions such as napping.
- It helps balance your body hormones.
- It is good for your heart. According to a study, people who took a 30-minute nap at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death.
- It increases cognitive functioning. According to researchers at NASA, a 30-minute power nap increased cognitive faculties by approximately 40 percent. The study showed that those who continued working without rest, made lower scores in intelligence tests like the IQ test. Also, their capacities to work and memorize decreased in comparison to those who napped after lunch.
Where to Power Nap?
Wherever you decide to take your power nap, the environment should be calm, quiet and relaxing. You might consider playing some soothing music in the background. After all, the main objective of power napping is to relax your mind. The best type of music for this is instrumental music, since studies have shown that it evokes a calming sensation. You also need to nap in a place with the appropriate, soothing lighting.
For How long to nap?
For most people a 20 minute power nap is optimal, some might prefer adding a 5 to 10 minute buffer to allow extra relaxation time before the actual nap. This is probably useful if you feel stress or difficulties to let go. It is up to you to fine tune your nap environment in order for you to find the perfect restorative sleep. Do not go over 30 to 40 minutes or you might enter deep sleep and create what is called sleep inertia. You would then feel drowsy, groggy and generally worse off. If sleep inertia does set in, you can easily spring back into your afternoon. Just splash water on your face, have a glass of water and go for a walk.
How to Power Nap?
Here are some suggestions for you to work with.
- Find a comfortable spot and stretch out. This can be hard to do in an office setting but it's not impossible. If appropriate, keep your eye out for a clean stretch of carpet, perhaps in a conference room or unoccupied office. You can also snooze in your chair but make certain you are not cramped and that you are positioned for safety so you won't fall out when you fall asleep.
- Close your eyes and focus on a project. Do not get wrapped up in details like budgets and deadlines. That will only provoke anxiety; focus on possibility, that is, on how you will accomplish the project and with whom.
- Relax as you mull over concepts. As your mind wanders, let your body relax, too.
- Doze. Fifteen to thirty minutes works. Any longer will make you a bit groggy, but do what works for you.
- Wake up. Rise slowly, and as you regain your balance, stretch your arms and legs. Time to get back to work. Enjoy the sense of renewal that comes from a quick nap.
If you feel the need for an extra caffeinated boost, you should take an espresso shot during your relaxation phase, right before closing your eyes and pressing the play button for your relaxation track. Coffee takes a few minutes to go through your system, so it will give you a "kick" at the end of the nap without affecting your nap.
On the long run, it is recommend that you consider reducing coffee intake or even stop coffee altogether. Coffee affects the quality of sleep in general, both nap and night sleep, and gives you only short energy boosts as opposed to the true powerful and lasting energy you can get from the combination of quality sleep and regular napping.
If you don't feel comfortable napping during the day, or don't have time for a power nap, try meditation; it gives your body a rest and produces brain waves similar to sleep.
