The Art of Napping: How to Harness the Power of a Restful Snooze
Most people enjoy a good nap now and then, but are you really utilizing their full power? A correctly performed nap can give you a great boost in energy, focus, and concentration, but a poorly executed nap can leave you groggy and more tired than when you started. It’s time to discover the true art of napping.
Siesta: A Cultural Phenomenon
Several cultures around the world use a “siesta” in the afternoon to stay productive. For example, in Spain, businesses often close down during the hottest hours of the day for a couple of hours so people can go home and rest. In Japan, employers appreciate it when their employees take short naps at their desks, recognizing that it boosts their productivity. Siestas have even been found to have health benefits, such as reducing cardiovascular disease and improving cognitive abilities.
Napping in America
While the siesta hasn’t quite caught on in America, many workers in the U.S. have reported success avoiding afternoon drowsiness with a nap. Napping has become particularly popular in the tech industry, with companies such as Google, Apple, and Uber offering employees on-site nap pods.
Polyphasic Sleep: The Six-Nap Solution
Some people (myself included) have even excelled on nothing but six well-timed naps per day, during polyphasic sleep. If you’re not familiar with polyphasic sleep, it involves taking multiple shorter naps throughout the day rather than one long sleep at night. For example, you might take six 20-minute naps (equivalent to two hours of sleep) spaced throughout the day, rather than getting eight hours of continuous sleep overnight.
Polyphasic sleep can be a difficult sleep schedule to stick to, but it can offer many benefits. Advocates of polyphasic sleep claim it provides more total hours in a day, increased productivity, more time for hobbies or work, and, of course, more time for napping.
Get the Timing Right
Regardless of whether you’re taking a nap as part of a polyphasic sleep schedule or just as a quick pick-me-up, the timing of your nap is crucial. The single most important aspect of a nap is making it the right length.
It turns out that dreaming is the most important part of sleep. Test subjects who were deprived of dreams performed on tests as if they had not slept at all. Furthermore, the longer they were deprived of dreams, the more frequently their brains attempted to start dreaming. Mice who were deprived of dreams for more than a few weeks died!
Your goal during a nap is to enter the REM sleep phase quickly (this is where most dreaming occurs), and to wake up as soon as the REM sleep phase is over. If you sleep past the REM phase, you’ll enter deeper phases of sleep and it will be really difficult to get up!
The only reason this is difficult is that everyone sleeps differently. For most people, their optimal nap time (where they can wake up just as they finish REM) is between 15 and 30 minutes, but you’ll have to test to find yours precisely.
Tips for Timing Your Nap
Start with a 30-35 minute nap, and work your way down. Each day, try a different length of nap, reducing the time by 3-5 minutes, and record your energy levels. As you learn to fall asleep quicker, and close in on your optimal time, you’ll notice a remarkable thing: it’s possible to wake up from a nap totally refreshed and alert!
However, don’t be surprised if after a 30-minute nap you are exhausted. You may have gone right through REM into a deeper sleep phase. It will feel like being woken up in the middle of the night, and during these times I’ve had trouble with even the most basic tasks like keeping my balance or forming sentences.
Optimal Light and Sound Conditions for Power Napping
In addition to getting the timing right, there are other factors to consider when taking a power nap. One of these is the amount of light and sound around you.
Ideally, find a quiet, dark room to nap in. If that’s not possible, use a sleep mask and earplugs to block out light and sound. You can also try using white noise or soothing music to help you relax and fall asleep faster.
Falling Asleep Anywhere: A Little Trick
If you’re not used to napping, it can be difficult to fall asleep quickly, particularly if you’re trying to nap in a bright, noisy environment. But I’ve discovered a trick that helps me fall asleep anywhere – airports, desks, couches, etc.
The trick is to tense and then relax each muscle group in your body one by one. Start with your toes and work your way up to your head, tensing each group of muscles for a few seconds before relaxing them completely. By the time you’ve reached your head, you should be in a deeply relaxed state and ready to fall asleep.
Final Thoughts
Napping can be a powerful tool for increasing your productivity and energy levels, but it’s important to get the timing right and create optimal conditions for napping. Experiment with different nap lengths until you find your sweet spot, and try using a sleep mask, earplugs, or white noise to block out distractions. With a little practice, you’ll be able to nap like a pro and reap the benefits of a well-timed snooze.
0 responses to “10 Steps to Crafting the Ultimate Power Nap Strategy”