How To Power Nap

Whether you're nodding off during the
afternoon slump at the office, working
a double or a night shift , or fighting
drowsiness while driving, a power-nap
can make you more alert and
productive but only if you do it
correctly. Scientists have been
studying the power-nap -- when to
take it, how to take it, what to take
before you take it, and so on. Their
findings suggest that the following
steps will help you get the most power
out of a power-nap.

Steps
1
Find a good place to nap.
Napping at work - A survey by
the National Sleep Foundation
found that about 30% of
people are allowed to sleep at
work, and some employers even
provide a place for employees
to nap. If your place of
employment isn't nap-friendly,
you can take a power-nap in
your car.
Napping on the road - If
you're driving find a rest area
to park in. Don't park on the
shoulder. Always turn off the
car and put on the emergency
brake. If it's nighttime, park
in a well-lit area with plenty
of people around and lock all
of your doors.
Turn off your mobile phone
and any other potential
distractions. If background
noise is unavoidable and
distracting, or if you suffer
from tinnitus , putting on
headphones with relaxing music
may help.
If you're sleeping during the
day and find that bright light
inhibits your ability to sleep,
wear sunglasses or use an eye
mask to simulate darkness.
2
Have caffeine right before you
nap. This may sound counter
intuitive since caffeine is a drug
and a stimulant, but it won't kick
in immediately (Please see the
warnings section at the end of this
article). Caffeine has to travel
through your gastrointestinal
tract, such that it can take up to
45 minutes to be absorbed. Taking
a "caffeine nap" in which 200mg
of caffeine are consumed right
before a 20-minute nap will not
only improve your performance, but
it'll also lessen how sleepy you feel
once you wake up. Skip the
caffeine, if it's late in the
afternoon--you'll have a hard
time falling asleep later--or if
you're trying to quit caffeine.
3
When you're close to finishing your
coffee (or your green tea , or your
caffeine jello shot, etc.), set an
alarm to go off in 15 minutes. This
is only true if you are one of those
people who can fall asleep
immediately. To know how much
time it takes for you to fall asleep,
take a look at the clock when you
are very tired and notice how long
it was since you got into bed.
Generally, you should set your
alarm for twenty-five minutes. If
you're one of those people who has
a habit of pressing the "snooze"
button and going right back to
sleep
, put your alarm across the room so
that you have to get up to turn it
off. Immediately after consuming
the caffeine, close your eyes and
relax .
4
Outside of your office door, which
should be closed at this point, post
up a sign that says you are power-
napping and can be contacted at a
certain time. Do a little bit of
research and present the cruciality
of power-napping if needed.
Even if you can't sleep, close
your eyes and meditate . You
might not be used to napping,
but if you incorporate short
bouts of sleep into a daily
routine (taking a nap every
day after lunch, for example)
you can "train" your body to
expect a nap during that time
and you'll have an easier time
falling asleep.
If you have trouble falling
asleep, try one of the
commercially available power-
nap machines or CDs that play
a special soundtrack designed
to induce a sleep state.
A power-nap captures the
benefits of the first two of
the five stages in the sleep
cycle. These first two stages
take place in the first twenty
minutes. In addition to making
you feel more rested and
alert, the electrical signals in
your nervous system
strengthen the connection
between neurons involved in
muscle memory, making your
brain work faster and more
accurately.
5
Get up as soon as the alarm goes
off. Sleeping for any longer than
20 minutes will be
counterproductive. Sleeping more
than 30 minutes can lead to sleep
inertia, making you feel sluggish
and more tired than ever.
Follow up with physical activity.
You can increase your pulse
rate with a few jumping jacks
or push-ups , or a little bit of
jogging in place.
Washing your face and exposing
yourself to bright light (e.g.
sunlight) can help you feel
more awake as well.
A good explanation on why people should
take power-naps.
It provides evidence on productivity
improvement that your boss will
want to know about.
Tips
Napping till late afternoon can
harm your sleeping patterns and
can cause you to be sleep deprived
in the morning.
Remember that a power-nap makes
you more productive. Some people
are reluctant to nap because it
seems "lazy" but if that was the
case, why would successful
executives and athletes be power-
napping? Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert
Einstein and Thomas Edison were
all reportedly dedicated power-
nappers (polyphasic sleepers ).
Sleeping too long during the day
will keep you awake at night. Keep
this in mind.
Try using a power-nap machine or
CD (such as the aptly-named
Power Nap) which plays a special
audio track that guides your brain
through a short sleep. Power Nap
cycles the brain through deep and
REM sleep, leaving the user
refreshed after only 20 minutes
spent resting.
Warnings
A power-nap can only help to a
certain extent. If you're sleep-
deprived, you need to make up for
your sleep deficit before you can
realize the full benefits of power-
napping.
While commonly found in sodas,
coffee, tea, and “energy drinks,”
Caffeine is a powerful and
potentially addictive drug. Overuse
of caffeine can lead to dependence
and cause side effects such as
interference with normal sleep
cycles . | National Institute of
Health Study | National Geographic
Summary of Scholarly Studies
. Therefore, it is recommended to
use other methods when power-
napping.