Taking a nap maybe viewed as a way of laziness of being unwell. These reasons will teach you how healthy it is to take a nap.
A nap restores alertness. You know how your energy dips in the early afternoon? You start feeling a little sleepy and lose focus. It happens to most of us. A quick nap can bring us back up to speed.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends a short nap of twenty to thirty minutes ‘for improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.’
A nap prevents burnout. In our always-on culture, we go, go and go. However, we were not meant to race without rest. Doing so leads to stress, frustration, and burnout.
Taking a nap is like a system reboot. It relieves stress and gives you a fresh start. Research subjects who nap show greater emotional resilience, improved cognitive function, and more. Just thirty minutes can prevent the day’s wear and tear from frying your circuits.
A nap heightens sensory perception. According to Dr. Sara C. Mednick, author of ‘Take a Nap, Change your life’, napping can restore the sensitivity of sight, hearing, and taste.
Napping also improves your creativity by relaxing your mind and allowing new associations to form in it. When it came to making new connections, nappers had the edge in research done by the City University of New York.
A nap reduces the risk of heart disease. Did you know those who take a midday siesta at least three times a week are 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease? Working men are 64 percent less likely!
“Taking a nap could turn out to be an important weapon in the fight against coronary mortality,” said Dimitrios Trichopoulos of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who led the study.
A nap makes you more productive. The secret to becoming more productive is not managing your time; it’s managing your energy. Numerous studies have shown workers becoming increasingly unproductive as the day wears on. Just think of your own experience.
- Be consistent. Try to nap at the same time every day. This helps stabilize your circadian rhythms and maximize the benefits. One easy way to do this? Schedule it.
- Keep it short. Avoid ‘sleep inertia’ that feeling of grogginess and disorientation that can come from awakening from a deep sleep. Long naps can also negatively impact nighttime sleep. I recommend twenty to thirty minutes tops. Set an alarm on your phone to avoid oversleeping.
- Turn off the lights. Light acts as a cue for our bodies. Darkness communicates it is time to shut down—or go into standby mode. If you can’t turn off the lights, use a simple eye mask. I bought mine at Walgreens. Turn the lights back up to full brightness when you wake up.
- Use a blanket. When you sleep, your metabolism falls, your breathing rate slows, and your body temperature drops slightly. Though not imperative, you will usually be more comfortable if you use a light blanket when you nap.
- Be discreet. Getting caught napping at your desk is not a good way to earn respect. In some old-school environments, it might even get you fired! But most people get an hour for lunch. Eat in half that time and then go snooze in your car, an unused conference room, or even a closet.