Have you ever wondered why you feel exhausted and tired by midday? A sound sleep, the day before didn’t possibly help you. How can you go about enhancing your productivity by giving ample rest to your body?
A significant relationship is found between sleep or napping and productivity. Researchers claim that a power nap can improve your productivity, creativity, alertness and it also enhances your ability to process the information. In this blog post, we will be discussing the benefits of the power nap to enhance productivity.
A power nap helps in enhancing the sleeping pattern of the person, which makes him more alert and energetic. Power napping is ideally done for a short period, which doesn’t last longer than 20 to 30 min of sleep.
Naps were a part of our childhood regime. Babies usually take naps during the day, and as they grow up the nap reduces. As an adult, you try spending and being awake for most of the day. This results in fatigue and makes a person’s body and mind tired.
Many Europeans are known for practicing an afternoon rest or a siesta, to rejuvenate and feel fresh. The researchers have come to the belief that a power nap can make you productive, work better, and make you a better person all around.
The three types of napping, according to the National sleep foundation are:
● Planned napping or preparatory napping, a practice of taking a nap much before the individual gets tired. By incorporating this technique, you fall less tired.
● Emergency napping takes place when you are instantly tired and cannot continue with the work you were engaged in before. This is usually seen in people who need to overcome the drowsy driving or when working with heavy and critical machinery.
● Habitual napping is often seen in young children and older adults. It is a sleeping pattern, which is formed during the day and is practiced on a daily basis.
Why do we Need to Nap?
Nap becomes a thing of the past as we start growing up. Adults face challenges to catch up with a nap as they are preoccupied with work.
According to the CDC, it is believed that more than one-third of adults are sleep deprived. A complete sleep is considered to be between seven to nine hours, which most of the adults find hard to achieve. Lack of sleep has grave repercussions. Sleep-deprived for more than 24 hours can slow down your response time and raise your blood alcohol to 0.10 (which is way higher than the advisable limit). This is as bad as drunken driving.
The human race is biologically designed to take a nap during the day, which is a natural circadian rhythm. Your urge to sleep is mostly post-lunch or during the afternoon. But unfortunately, it is not possible when you are at work. Instead, you could work on the alternatives discussed below.
Taking a Perfect Nap
Before you go ahead on reaping the benefits of the nap, there are a set of guidelines that you need to follow. Try out these easy steps to add a short nap in your daily schedule.
1. Time – 20 Minutes
A 90- minute nap allows you to complete a full sleep cycle. But keeping the time constraint in mind, opt for a twenty-minute nap, which makes you feel refreshed and regain your energy. This 20-minute sleep lets you have a 3-minute of stage two sleep which is believed to have recuperative effects
2. Optimal sleeping conditions
Make the most of the time you have in hand to devote for a nap. The best way to go about doing this is to find a quiet and serene place. You may wear a sleeping mask, darken the room to calm your body and mind. This would help you fall asleep quickly.
3. Refrain From Power Naps If Not Tired
A nap is the best way to rejuvenate, but you may skip in case you are less tired. When the body is less tired, it takes time to fall asleep, and this could be annoying and frustrating. It is advisable, therefore, to take a walk or meet up with your friends to relieve stress.
4. Fix a Time
A power nap is to be done at a time that makes sense. The ideal nap time is around 8-9 hours after you have woken up in the morning. It is also not recommended to have a nap close to your bedtime, as it hampers the night’s sleep.
5. Sip a Coffee
Having a cup of coffee just before the nap will enhance the effectiveness of the sleep. The caffeine usually kicks in 20-30min later. This will help you in waking up after your nap, thus feeling fresh for the rest of the day.
6. Bounce back after nap
Allow the body to get back in motion, post a power nap. The body needs to adjust and recover. Utilize this time in planning your activities for the rest of the day.
7. Napping is not for everyone
People who are suffering from insomnia need to keep themselves away from a nap. A nap must be avoided as it may disrupt their sleeping cycle at night.
8. Higher accomplishment
Post your power nap, schedule your tasks that requires more brain work. The nap refreshes you, making you more alert and boosts your performance.
Set an example
The benefits of napping are going to entice you. You would already be looking into a way of incorporating nap time in your busy schedule. Regular night sleep is the way to remain alert and energized. For the days when your body is exhausted, a quick nap can do wonders both mentally and physically.
With the advent of technology and digital media, one needs to be connected and available at all times. This steals away the nap that you have longed for. While your body is trying to rest, your eyes get glued to the mobile screen, and you may get carried away. Thus you can lose out on nap time.
Our bodies have been so used to staying awake during the day, and it might resist when you head for a power nap initially. Try to relax your body and mind, with time you would be able to master the technique of taking a perfect nap. You could lead the way and help your colleagues understand the benefits of the power nap.
Bottom line
In the present scenario where people are awake until late at night, binge-watching television, or watching web series on the digital platform are struggling with productivity.
Not sleeping enough could ruin the sleep pattern and could make you feel grumpy the next day. On such days, incorporate a power nap to get refreshed and productive at work. Taking a nap for 30 minutes is the key way to reap in all the benefits. Including the art of napping in your routine will give you a whole new way to balance your stressful work life.
