Nap time
Napping is one of the best, most underused tools for busy people. It is frowned upon by many people and is viewing as something for the elderly and children. Mention napping and you could be seen as lazy, depressed and unwilling to work. The majority of people experience drowsiness in the afternoon and notice their productivity and mood starting to slip and napping will help combat this. It is completely natural and helps to fight the affects of fatigue such as burnout, stress and a lack of mental clarity.
Even though there seems to be a taboo on napping, there have been many famous nappers who swear by the midday snooze to keep them awake and alert. Famous nappers have included Richard Branson, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Winston Churchill and Leonardo da Vinci. No one can claim that these people didn’t achieve anything and spent all day napping.
Research on napping is constantly showing positive effects. The results suggest that napping can make you more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning compared to working all day without rest. A mid-afternoon sleep means that productivity can last long into the night. Researchers at NASA showed that a 30-minute power nap increased cognitive functioning by 40%. The volunteers on the tests found that their memory improved as well as experiencing an increase in concentration. Those who didn’t nap would score lower on IQ test than those that did (after a day of work).
If you feel a slump in the afternoon and from then on don’t perform at your best, I recommend taking a short power nap to get yourself feeling alert and ready for work. You will feel rested and you’ll notice your mood and alertness improve. I advise keeping the nap between 15 and 30 minutes as you want to avoid getting into deeper stages of sleep. If you do, you’ll find it harder to wake and may experience the groggy feeling for a while.
For those who are worried about the after affect of a nap, there is the caffeine nap. A caffeine nap is taken after an intake of caffeine, so that you are asleep while your body digests the caffeine. After a 15-30 minute nap, you wake up and instantly have the caffeine in your system. This is great if you instantly need to be on the move after a nap, and you can bounce out of your sleeping state and jump into work feeling refreshed and energised.
Finding 15-30 minutes in a day can sometimes seem difficult, but doing so could mean a great deal to your productivity. Even 10 minutes a day will be better than nothing at all, and may give you the energy you need to be successful. If you’re willing to give it a try, make sure you can find a comfortable place (both physically and mentally) before setting your head down. If you can feel secure and let go, then you’re rest will be even more beneficial.
A lot of people who wish to start their own businesses but are currently working 9-5 will benefit from a nap. The majority of the work on their own business will be done after 5pm and it is hard to stay enthusiastic and inspired at this time. Taking a nap during a break at work or just after finishing work could effectively increase your concentration levels and allow you to keep working, allowing you to further your own business after the 9-5 grind.
Try this for a few days and see if you see the benefits. I did, and now I’m off for a nap!
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Paul Dickinson
Paul Dickinson is the author of SolopreneurProductivity.com, a blog designed for the sole purpose of providing productivity tips and tricks for solopreneurs! Follow me on Twitter: @pauldickinson
ARTICLES BY THIS WRITER »
Tags: 
Get your own Avatars at 
Loading ...
Comments
Tim says on June 3rd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Paul:
Nice post. I’m with you…we need more naps! If we could just replace one redundant corporate meeting with a nap (or at least delay the meeting to fit the nap in), we would all feel better.
I like your description of the caffeine nap – I will have to try this. Thanks.
Debora says on June 4th, 2009 at 1:43 am
When I dropped caffeine out of my diet about 10 years ago I kept getting sleepy in the late afternoon. My doctor advised me to nap, but I can’t nap. Once I’m laying there all warm and comfortable, nothing in the world can get me te get up again.
I found an alternative in taking a warm bath. After about 20 minutes the water gets cold and it’s easy to get out.
Shame working for an employer now means I don’t have that option.
Dushi says on June 4th, 2009 at 8:37 am
very nice post ;)
prayerthegate says on June 4th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I used to nap. You do have to set an alarm at first and get your body accustomed to 10 – 30 minutes. But once you do, it is like having two days in one productivity wise. I have not napped in a while. I need to do this again so my afternoons are more productive. Thanks for an awesome article!
E G says on June 4th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Nice post! However, for most people to nap during the day, they will need help in the form of an alarm clock, to awake in time to get back to work.
The trusty cell phone is the best solution, as most cell phones have an alarm clock feature, a solution I’ve mentioned in a post last year:
http://jenesaisrein.blogspot.c.....-some.html
tan says on June 4th, 2009 at 11:37 am
If you happen to visit an Asian company, especially China Taiwan and Japan, you will know how they agreed with you! During lunch times, offices switched dark and everyone will get their pillow and taking a nap!
Lilly says on June 5th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Do you have a webcam on me??!!! I can’t believe I just read what I’ve somewhat shamefully been doing for years. I get tired midday, have my 2nd cup of coffee for the day, but still feel drowsy right after (since it’s not digested), so I nap for 25-30 minutes in addition. The caffeine kick is my actual alarm clock, because once it enters my system, I wake right up and am raring to go! And my most productive state is the 3-7pm time slot.
Now I can come out of the closet on this… it DOES work, folks!
I’ve tried variations – napping with no coffee, and while I’m alert, I usually get a headache (probably caffeine withdrawal) and I’m not quite AS alert, but more calm.
And of course, the coffee with no nap is done by everybody. It gets me through the afternoon hours, but I don’t have any major breakthroughs. I’m telling you, the combination of the two is a powerhouse.
Great post!
Warren Davies says on June 7th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Absolutely!
A nap has power far beyond the time you’re actually asleep. I tried a polyphasic sleep experiment for a month, where you sleep very little through the night (3 hours), but have several naps through the day. And I have to say, a few naps can make up for a LOT of missed sleep at night.
Lilly,
Good for you, there’s so much more space outside of the closet!
That’s an excellent idea, having the coffee immediately prior to the nap. Only thing is, to sleep your body temperature needs to lower, so maybe it’s best to not have such a hot coffee in that case.
Actually, I did exactly what you say earlier on today. I had a coffee, then needed a nap, and I thought, maybe I’ve become immune to caffeine or something? Now I know the real reason!
Lloyd Vincent says on June 7th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
This sounds interesting, I’d like to try it but I’m not so confident in my ability to fall asleep in the middle of the day…
@tan . I live and work in Japan but have never heard of a company nap time…. though in this… “diverse” country I’m sure some places do that. Much more commonly Japanese people seem to nap on the train (it’s amazes me that they never miss their stop).
Si Phoenix says on June 8th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I’m a big fan of short “power napping”, and it helps to keep me alert throughout the day. The only problem I find is that if I do sleep for longer than 20-30 minutes I wake up feeling very drowsy and with a headache.
Enrique S says on June 8th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Sometimes a nap is a great way for me to recharge the batteries. About 20-30 minutes is ideal. I find that anything longer than that makes me groggy.
tag says on June 9th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I can’t get through a normal/busy workday without the caffeine-nap. I do skip it some days when I can afford to lag in the afternoon or knock off early, so that I don’t build too much of a tolerance. Without breaks in even that routine, it will require more caffeine and become more difficult to rest ‘productively’. I do it about four times a week. (To fight feeling over-tired on weekends, I actually skip the caffeine. Do not sleep in to ‘catch up’, but rather, go back to bed midday for a longer nap, without the caffeine chaser.)
Patches O'Houlihan says on June 14th, 2009 at 11:53 am
The need to nap, or not nap is most often based on nutrition. What you ate for breakfast and lunch makes a large dent in your body and its ability to be awake.
Omar says on June 14th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I always enjoyed taking naps. I feel energized. When I don’t take naps I’m lethargic and tired. Naps help my productivity tremendously. Begor I use to feel guilty because people would say “I’m always sleeping.” But after while I stopped caring. Thanks for this article.
Travis says on June 16th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
My problem with napping consistently has been my lack of ability at falling asleep right away. Even if I feel tired, I end up wasting an hour or so just TRYING to fall asleep… maybe I’ve just got too much on my mind!
That being said, it is something I’d like to progress into and work on. I know that when I DO get in a nice nap, that my productivity really sores.
mattsos says on July 14th, 2009 at 12:23 am
I’d love to learn how to lie down and nap for 30 mins. I’ll lay down to nap, spend an hour tryinjg to fall asleep then end up sleeping way too long and my day is shot.
Used Trucks says on July 21st, 2009 at 9:20 am
i either find that i cant get to sleep, or dont wake up within 15-30 minutes afterwards….
Chris Car says on August 31st, 2009 at 5:56 am
I think power napping is ideal just to regain your energy, however if you don’t wake up within 20-30 mins then I usually find im more tired than when I first napped.