Today, I’ll share one simple technique that makes a HUGE difference to how much I get done every day, and how happy and energetic I feel throughout the day!
I’ve tried several variations on napping, but this is by far the most cost-effective method. In just 20 minutes, you get almost as rested as in a full 2-hour afternoon nap. (Yes, I’ve tried those, and longer.)
Why take a power nap
In case the benefits aren’t obvious:
- you awaken feeling refreshed
- you can focus again
- therefore you will spend less time procrastinating and more time doing things that make you happy!
How to take a power nap
A power nap has a few simple components.
Firstly, you’ll need a reasonably peaceful place to take a nap. While I’m lucky to live near my university, you don’t need to be at home for this. You just need a place where you can be undisturbed for 20 minutes, like a library, or your car (very convenient!), or even your office (just ask others not to disturb you for 20 minutes).
Secondly, and this is important – nap for 20 minutes only. You would think that a 40-minute nap would refresh you twice as much as a 20-minute nap. But actually, it would leave you feeling groggy and like your eyelids weigh a ton.
In a 20-minute nap, you will only have a chance to enter light sleep, from which you can awaken easily in a few minutes! Meanwhile, in deep sleep, your body releases chemicals that stop your muscles from moving. This makes you feel groggy and heavy afterwards. (This is the mistake most people who don’t like napping make. Then they think a nap has to make you tired and groggy, and miss out on all the great benefits!)
You enter the second cycle of light sleep after about 90 minutes. So basically, if you want to wake up feeling rested and energetic, take a 20-minute or a 90-minute nap. Nothing in between.
Also, it doesn’t really matter how long you spend asleep. All that matters is that you fall asleep. I have no idea why, but it really works to get you rested!
Even if you spend the first 10 minutes lying around with your mind racing, the next 5 minutes drifting to sleep, and then 5 minutes asleep, you will awaken just as rested as if you fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow.
So a good rule of thumb is to find a reasonably comfortable position, and then relax your body and stop moving. This will send a signal to your brain that it’s time to relax, and give you a good chance to fall asleep in those 20 minutes.
You will awaken refreshed and ready to tackle the challenges of the day ahead!
(Note: some people suggest drinking a coffee before the nap. I don’t drink coffee, so I haven’t tried that. The power nap works for me just fine even without it!)
Anyway, that’s it. I hope this helps you as much as it helps me!
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
a short nap is indeed one of the top efficiency enhancers.
some addition:
really cool infographix on the topic: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/ > check out the nasa findings!
cafnap works – but in this case you have to set the pomodoro for 10-15 minutes, cuz caffeine kicks in that fast
more info: http://www.sleepdex.org/caffeine-nap.htm
Who’d recommend coffee? That can only disrupt any sleeping…
Great post Vlad – I’ve been powernapping for years now and it’s a great boost to my day and never gets old!
I invested in an ergonomic eye mask (more expensive than standard ones) since it’s really comfortable to wear and turns it into night-time in an instant. After doing it a few times your body gets the idea and you don’t even need an alarm clock any more. You will just wake up after 20 minutes!
@fmvs:
That’s a cool infographic! Although… according to them, you can wake up within 45 minutes of going to sleep and still be fresh and ready, without getting into sleep inertia. I feel I usually get there within half an hour. Oh well, either way, a 20-minute nap still rocks
@Benny:
True, I sometimes wake up before the alarm clock. Maybe half the time nowadays.
Also, I personally prefer to just throw a t-shirt over my eyes. Surprisingly comfy and light-repellent! (Might be a bit inconvenient on a train or such, though.)
Wish I were one of those people who could fall asleep in under 30 minutes.
Businesses are starting to understand the value of napping, and some are even investing in nap stations such as EnergyPod. http://hubpages.com/hub/Metronap_Energypod
Gabrielle´s last blog ..Sidetracked
@Gabrielle:
Yeah, too bad most businesses still don’t understand it’s about how much you get done as opposed to how long you spend working.
I read something about this a year or so ago, and as a frequently sleep-deprived college student (as I realize I’m writing this at nearly 1:30 AM…), it has come in handy. The only downside is that half the time (probably more like 3/4) I can’t fall asleep in 20 minutes. The alarm going off when I have yet to fall asleep is rather depressing.
@Aurora:
Have you tried any techniques to help you fall asleep?
Things like:
- relaxing your body completely muscle by muscle
- relaxing your brain (by telling it to relax as if it was a muscle)
- letting the thoughts flow past, without dwelling on any of them in particular (takes a bit of practice)
I find that these help me personally fall asleep when my mind is racing too much.
I have tried various timings for power naps, and for me, 15 to 30 minutes is great. I had to go on for more than 48 hours without sleep on a few occasions, and still got away with a 15 minute power nap…. it really works!
I’ve also tried relaxing my body muscle by muscle , (as pointed out in yr above comment) , but for me, it doesn’t help me fall asleep, just helps me relax.
For me, the best thing that works is an inside voice that keeps whispering “oh man, i’m so tired….” and within 10 minutes or so, I’m asleep!
Ever tried that? Would love to know…
@Salman:
Never tried that. Sounds interesting, I’ll give it a try and see how it works
(though I usually don’t have a problem falling asleep)
@Salman:
Alright, I tried it!
I did fall asleep
Though I suspect I might have fallen asleep even without the mantra. I think I’ll do more experimenting with this trick.
Great, so now u may have one more trick added to your bag…..
…. Sweet dreams… 