Power Napping: More Energy With the Right Nap

Most of the time, everyday life is quite hectic – so power napping is ideal for a short sleep during the break. We’ll explain how you can benefit most from a power nap.

What Is Power Napping?

A short sleep during the day, which ideally lasts no longer than 20 minutes, is called power napping . This means you have slept, but you are awake again before entering the deep sleep phase. This type of sleep is ideal to recharge your batteries for the afternoon at lunchtime.

The midday nap is not yet integrated into everyday work here in Germany. In other countries, such as Japan or the USA, many companies already enable their employees to do power napping. Not for nothing, as it can bring some benefits.

The Advantages of a Power Nap

A power nap can have positive effects for you in several areas :

1. To your health,
2. On your ability to concentrate,
3. On your mood,
4. And it can give you more energy.

Researchers have found these possible advantages in various studies with varying sleep times. In the end, there are individual advantages for you when you have found the ideal conditions for your power nap.

Guide to Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

In order to make your power nap as productive as possible for you, you should consider the following:

1. Pick a suitable time for power napping:
   • The best time to do this is in the early afternoon when you are starting to get tired and your focus is going down.
   • Note:  If you sleep in the late afternoon, you may have trouble falling asleep in the evening.
2. Find a suitable place where:
   • you can relax, either lying down or in a comfortable sitting position.
   • you can reduce the light. Depending on the possibility and your own needs, it may be enough to turn off the light or even close the roller blind/blind.
   • you have as much rest as possible to be able to fall asleep.
3. Set an alarm clock so that you really only sleep the ideal time of 20 minutes or less. Plan your individual time to fall asleep. Depending on your own needs, you can test whether, for example, just ten minutes of sleep already have positive effects.
4. If you can’t fall asleep quickly on your own, try some relaxation exercises. You can do this by doing breathing exercises.
5. Immediately after your power nap, you should briefly stimulate your circulation. You can do this by:
   • some movement,
   • Light (e.g. office light or sunlight),
   • or get a refreshing drink ( e.g. infused water ).

Note: One trend is called “Coffee Napping”. You can also drink a cup of caffeinated coffee or tea right before the power nap. Since the caffeine only works after about 20 minutes, you will get an extra kick of energy when you wake up.

Text Source: Utopia