How a Power Nap can improve your productivity
We all trying to be as productive as possible but often we all feel a little burn-out or just feeling tired. While working from home we have another factors which can bring extra stress and anxiety and feeling that tasks are pilling up. To stay motivated and productive we need to regain some of our vital energy and best way to do that is by sleeping.
Of course our biological clock is set in this specific manner that it will know when it is good for us to fall asleep and that is usually during our bed time in the evening, however an extra nap every day, even during work can significantly improve our wellbeing and make us feel better as well as increase productivity.
So how to do it properly so we won’t spend a working day in bed? You certainly don’t want to oversleep and wake up few hours later with that groggy feeling. Timing is crucial here, in general if you pass 20 minutes of your nap, you will enter the REM stage which is then a deepest stage of the sleep.
To achieve a successful nap you can only do it if you are within first 20minutes of your light faze of sleeping. This is a state where you are still aware of thoughts, noises around you as well as sensations while still maintaining the deep state of relaxation.
The best timing for your power naps is around 2 to 3 pm, as this is natural dip in energy which occurs during this time. Make sure to have some emergency but calm alarm clock set for about 30-35minutes, you should fall asleep in 10-15 minutes and then have full 20 minutes of power nap, when practising that on a daily basis, after few weeks you should be able to get your falling asleep time pattern to improve to 2-5minutes.
The most important factor here is to avoid going into your bedroom as item such as bed is naturally configured and saved in your brain as the tool to have your bed-time and you will increase the risk of going into a deep sleep. If you have no other place to go to where having the nap, feel free to use your bed but set yourself in different position using for sleeping (try to place your body upside down), also make sure you don’t go under the covers to not feel too comfortable as this is only an exercise to allow you to recoup some of your energy, by doing all above you will trick your body thinking it is something else to your regular sleep time.
Temperature must be cool, lights dimmed, avoid wearing anything too warm and cosy and if you have a problem keeping your mind in place, try some white noise or calming music to help you relax.
Are you having power naps? Share your experience in the comments section below.
All the best,
Lucas
