All animals around the world do it at some point during the day. We humans are animals too, so why do we fight it? What am I talking about? I’m talking about taking a five; a good nap; a well deserved siesta, and I don’t mean only on the weekend while at home. We should do it on the job site too. Believe it or not, it’s good for the job.
The siesta, a short nap taken in the early afternoon, usually after the midday meal, comes from the Latin Hora Sexta meaning “The sixth hour” (counting from dawn, therefore noon, hence “midday rest”). The siesta is commonplace in numerous countries in the world with temperate climates.
Do you know that Leonardo de Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison who made considerable contributions to the advancement of mankind were avid power nappers and these short sleep indulgences are strongly believed to have contributed to their achievements? According to personal development blog, ririan project, napping is a great way to increase productivity and become more creative. By obtaining merely 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon, your body and mind will recharge and provide the extra push required to have a successful, productive day. In other words, rest is as important as work because it enables the work.
So, how best to take a nap? The good folks at Ririan Project provide us with ten napping techniques to choose from.
1. The Odd Couple
Alleviate sleepiness by combining a short snooze with coffee. A Japanese study found that coffee takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in, just enough time for you to nap. That way, if you’ve had a coffee-primed nap, the benefits are twofold; you’ve rested and you’re ready to go when you wake.
2. The Nicest Nap
Sleep experts say that 2 to 3 p.m. is the ideal nap hour – late enough to fit into your natural siesta zone but early enough that it will not interfere with your night sleep. Also, take your afternoon schedule into consideration when making nap plans.
If you can, experts recommend taking your mid-afternoon snooze just prior to a big meeting. Dozing right before the meeting will make sure you’re not drifting off during the meeting.
3. Length Does Matter
A good nap length is somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes. This will give you the restorative benefits of sleep without the lethargy or grogginess.
4. Making the Bed
It’s difficult for some to nap in unfamiliar surroundings. The office couch might not be the best place to stop for a power nap, yet it is adequate. Your parked car is another option – of course you should make sure a window is open and the engine is not running.
Learn how to control the environment to get the most out of power naps. Turn out all of the lights and close the doors and windows. If there’s lots of noise, plug your ears with cotton balls or rubber ear plugs. You might also want to keep a dark-coloured mask with you to block out all light so that nothing disturbs your power nap.
5. Set an Alarm
Chances are, if you’re tired enough to take a nap, you will not magically wake up on your own accord. So set and alarm, both to avoid the grogginess of a long nap and to make sure you don’t sleep through anything important. These days, most people have access to all kinds of alarms such as those on their cell phones, so timing your naps is easy.
6. Stop feeling Guilty
Napping is great for your health and productivity. But even though most of us know this, we often feel as though we are wasting time. This feeling of guilt only impedes successful power napping. Instead, make an effort to recognise that you’re not being lazy; napping will make you more productive and more alert after you wake up.
7. Calm the Mind
Let go of all thoughts. As thoughts come into your mind, just repeat this gentle reminder to yourself; “Empty the mind!” You may want to switch over to a word of your choosing to focus on (a mantra) that will help push out other thoughts.
Examples of words are Peace, Calm, Rest, Empty, Power, Strength, Love. Any word is fine. In fact, the word, “OMmm” can be helpful because it is not attached to other meanings. Whatever works for you is what is best at that moment!
8. Be Prepared for Grogginess
Sleep is characterised by cycles of light and deep sleep. If you wake up in the middle of a deep sleep, you will feel groggy for 15 to 20 minutes. Try running cold water over your wrists or drinking a soda to wake yourself up. But in most cases – if you sleep for less than 30 minutes – you won’t enter deep sleep. Anyway, experiment to see what works for you.
9. Keep it Consistent
Experts suggest working that 20-minute nap into a particular sleep routine to make it part of your body’s expected circadian rhythm. Just like you go to sleep and wake up at approximately the same time every day, you should get into the routine of taking regular naps.
Some days, this won’t be possible, but if you need power naps, organise them into your schedule. Eventually, you will start to get sleepy around the time of your power nap and it will become second nature just like going to sleep at night in you bed.
10. Be an Alert Napper
If you always feel the need for a nap, think about your nightly sleep schedule. Are you down to only five or six hours? While a 20-minute nap is a good refresher, it will not make up for hours lost at night.
Conversly, if you’re getting eight hours of sleep each night yet still feel the need to nap, that might be a sigh of a sleep disorder, or another health problem, so check with your physician.
If you’d like to be as creative, productive and accomplished as Thomas Edison at work – or if you’d just like to feel better and have more energy in the afternoon and evening – it’s absolutely worth to give power napping a try.
I greatly appreciate the tips on napping provided by the good folks at ririan project and I must add that I earnestly believe that taking an afternoon nap during work in Trinidad and Tobago should be enacted by Parliament.
