Most of the time everyday life is pretty hectic. Power napping, i.e. a short sleep, is ideal for regaining strength during a break. We’ll explain to you how you can benefit most from a power nap.
Power napping is a short sleep during the day, but it shouldn’t last too long. Because you should wake up again before entering the deep sleep phase. This type of sleep is ideal for recharging your energy for the afternoon during lunchtime.
The midday nap is not yet integrated into everyday working life here in Germany. In other countries, such as Japan or the USA, many companies already allow their employees to power nap. Not for nothing, because it can have some advantages.
The benefits of a power nap
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A power nap can have a positive effect on you in several areas:
- on your health, for example heart health
- on your ability to concentrate, for example in the form of shorter reaction times
- on your mood
- on your energy
Researchers have found these possible advantages in various studies with varying sleep times. In the end, there will be individual benefits for you once you have found the ideal conditions for your power nap.
Instructions for a good sleep at lunchtime
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To make your power nap as productive as possible for you, you should consider the following:
- Choose a suitable time for power napping:
- The best time is early afternoon when you start to get tired and your concentration starts to wane.
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Note: If you schedule your sleep in the late afternoon, you may have trouble falling asleep in the evening.
- Find a suitable location where:
- you can relax, either lying down or in a comfortable sitting position.
- you can reduce the light. Depending on your options and your own needs, it may be enough to turn off the lights or even close the blinds.
- you have as much peace and quiet as possible so you can fall asleep.
- It’s cool (it’s best to sleep at around 17 degrees).
- Set an alarm so that you only sleep for a maximum of 20 minutes. Plan your individual time to fall asleep. Depending on your own needs, you can test whether, for example, just ten minutes of sleep has positive effects. If you sleep for longer than 20 minutes, the deep sleep phase begins, from which it is difficult to wake up again.
- If you find it difficult to fall asleep quickly, try a few relaxation techniques. You can do breathing exercises.
- Immediately after your power nap, you should briefly stimulate your circulation. You can do this
- through some movement,
- through light (e.g. office light or sunlight),
- by washing your face briefly with cool water,
- or achieve it with a refreshing drink (for example infused water).
Tip: One trend is called “coffee napping”. To do this, drink a cup of caffeinated coffee or tea directly before your power nap. Since the caffeine only takes effect after around 20 minutes, you get an extra kick of energy when you wake up.
Power nap error: sleeping too long
(Photo: CC0 / Unsplash / Miikka Luotio)
Its length distinguishes the power nap from a normal “nap”. After the latter, many people feel very sleepy and often even more tired than before.
During a power nap, the body goes through the first stages of sleep (stages 1 and 2), which are light and restful. If you sleep longer, there is a risk that you will enter deeper sleep phases (stages 3 and 4, also called deep sleep). If you wake up during these deep stages of sleep, you may feel groggy and disoriented – this is called sleep drunkenness. This phase is harder to break and it may take longer for you to feel fit again afterwards.
Of course, you can sleep longer than 20 minutes – but the next good time to wake up comes after around 90 minutes. This is how long a full sleep cycle lasts, during which you go through different sleep phases (light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep). If you have the time to complete a full sleep cycle, even these longer naps can be restorative.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
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Edited by Denise Schmucker
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