Caught Napping
The Sleep Pillar
Sleep is one of the four pillars of good health (food, activity, and peace are the other three). Everyone needs a different amount of sleep. Some people even have a specific gene that allows them to function on less than 6 hours of sleep a night, but most of us need closer to 8 but less than 9 hours.
Sleepers Around the World
Every culture approaches sleep differently. The Spanish traditionally had an afternoon siesta, when stores were closed between 2 and 4. This gave time for a big lunch, followed by a 30-minute nap. A siesta makes sense with hot afternoons and an average bedtime after midnight. Sadly, the siesta tradition is disappearing in Spain.
The Germans call an afternoon nap Mittagsschlaf, a word that makes you tired just saying it. In fact, the industrious Germans nap twice as much as the carefree Spanish. Of course, they get up more than an hour earlier than the average Spaniard.
Nappers Get It Done
A growing number of companies around the world offer a place to nap at work. When people feel sleepy, their performance declines. A short nap increases productivity, so the napper gets more done.
Nap Power
Short naps increase energy, help with focus, and make you cheery. Naps also reduce the number of mistakes you make and improve your memory. Not only that, research shows that regular nap reduces the risk of fatal heart disease. It could be from the stress elimination effect. You have to relax to take a nap.
Naps are also essential for shift workers. A pre-shift nap when you have to work at night improves your ability to stay away. And drowsy drivers must pull off and take a nap for everyone’s sake. If your head is bobbing, or you’re drifting in your lane, or if you lose focus for a few seconds - pull over!
Caffeinated Nap
A caffeine nap is a perfect solution for drivers. Have a cup of coffee right before a nap. That way, when you wake up in 30 minutes, the caffeine will have activated, and you’ll be ready to go. Coffee powered naps also work for desk jobs.
Big League Nappers
A lot of influential people were famous nappers. JFK took a nap almost every afternoon. A tip he learned from Eisenhower, who learned it from Churchill. A lot of creative people and inventors were nappers: Thomas Edison, Beethoven, Einstein, and Salvador Dali. Dali even included a nap technique in his book, 50 Secrets. His nap technique was to fall asleep with a key in his hand so that when he fell asleep, the keys would hit the floor and he would wake up inspired.
The Perfect Nap
Most research point to 20-30 minutes as the ideal nap length. It should be in a dim, quiet place. Find a nap time between 1 and 4 in the afternoon. Any later, and you risk a good night’s sleep, and mid-afternoon is the usual downtime for most people.
Think of your nap as a micro-vacation to a happy place. You’ll wake up raring to go.
