While small children typically take naps in the afternoon, our culture generally frowns upon mid-day sleep. However, even in those who get enougth sleep, many people experience a natural decrease in drowsiness in the afternoon, about 8 hours after waking.
Reserch shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and also many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle. Napping also benefits heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick, a scientist at the Salk Institute for Biologicak Studies.
A power nap, says Mednick, simply maximizes these benefits by getting the sleeper into and out of rejuvenative sleep as fast as possible. No surprise that Lance Armstrong’s coach, Chris Carmichael, says that “naps were critical in his overall training plan.” In Manhattan, napping has become a lucrative business: MetroNaps in the Empire State Building provides darkened cot-like redoubts that attract Broadway actors between shows as well as investment bankers who otherwise would fall asleep at their desks. And in Iraq, U.S. Marine commanders have mandated a power nap before patrols.
Christopher Ketcham at Men’s Journal has written a great article on power nap. And here’s how he explains power nap works:
Here’s how the power nap works: Sleep comes in five stages that recur cyclically throughout a typical night, and a power nap seeks to include just the first two of them. The initial stage features the sinking into sleep as electrical brain activity, eye and jaw-muscle movement, and respiration slow. The second is a light but restful sleep in which the body gets ready — lowering temperature, relaxing muscles further — for the entry into the deep and dreamless “slow-wave sleep,” or SWS, that occurs in stages three and four. Stage five, of course, is REM, when the eyes twitch and dreaming becomes intense.
The five stages repeat every 90 to 120 minutes. Stage one can last up to 10 minutes, stage two until the 20th minute. Extenuating circumstances, like manning the controls of a jet, aside, experts believe that the optimal power nap should roughly coincide with the first 20 minutes in order to give you full access to stage two’s restorative benefits. In addition to generally improving alertness and stamina, stage two is marked by a certain electrical signals in the nervous system that seem to solidify the connection between neurons involved in muscle memory. “It’s like a welding machine,” says Mednick. “When you wake up, your neurons perform the same function as before, but now faster and with more accuracy,” making the 20-minute nap indispensible to the hard-working athlete looking to straighten out his putter or baseline shot.
The only catch is that you have to carefully time your nap to avoid waking in slow-wave sleep (third stage), which can produce sleep inertia. So it’s better to use an alarm clock in the beginning.
So, how to get the perfect nap? Everyone, no matter how high-strung, has the capacity to nap, but the conditions need to be right. Here are some helpful hints by Dr. Sara Mednick:
1. The first consideration is psychological: Recognize that you’re not being lazy; napping will make you more productive and more alert after you wake up.
2. Try to nap in the morning or just after lunch; human circadian rhythms make late afternoons a more likely time to fall into deep (slow-wave) sleep, which will leave you groggy.
3. Avoid consuming large quantities of caffeine as well as foods that are heavy in fat and sugar, which meddle with a person’s ability to fall asleep.
4. Instead, in the hour or two before your nap time, eat foods high in calcium and protein, which promote sleep.
5. Find a clean, quiet place where passersby and phones won’t disturb you.
6. Try to darken your nap zone, or wear an eyeshade. Darkness stimulates melatonin, the sleep- inducing hormone.
7. Remember that body temperature drops when you fall asleep. Raise the room temperature or use a blanket.
8. Once you are relaxed and in position to fall asleep, set your alarm for the desired duration (see below).How Long Is A Good Nap?
THE NANO-NAP: 10 to 20 seconds Sleep studies haven’t yet concluded whether there are benefits to these brief intervals, like when you nod off on someone’s shoulder on the train.
THE MICRO-NAP: two to five minutes Shown to be surprisingly effective at shedding sleepiness.
THE MINI-NAP: five to 20 minutes Increases alertness, stamina, motor learning, and motor performance.
THE ORIGINAL POWER NAP: 20 minutes Includes the benefits of the micro and the mini, but additionally improves muscle memory and clears the brain of useless built-up information, which helps with long-term memory (remembering facts, events, and names).
THE LAZY MAN’S NAP: 50 to 90 minutes Includes slow-wave plus REM sleep; good for improving perceptual processing; also when the system is flooded with human growth hormone, great for repairing bones and muscles.
Now, overall I’m completly sold on power napping. New entry in my JoeGoals.com goals – Take a 20 min. Power Nap.
Featured Partner: Reduce stress in the body and relieve your muscles in raised beds. When sharing a bed with a partner, bed size plays a huge role in a good nights sleep. Read some expert opinions on the emphasis of bed size in relationships. Give yourself room to move around and fall asleep in huge king size beds. An amazing benefit of owning a king size bed is when the kids end up in your room in the middle of the night!
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What To Do When You SUCK
October 17, 2006
[...] I already exercise early in the day and I have a daily 20-min. Power Nap, and I decided to have my hour of reading before going to bed. This tips should help me sleep better and ultimately reach my health goals. [...]
October 17, 2006
[...] 9. Don’t Nap During The Day I know it may sound contradictory as I already wrote about the benefits of napping, but practically speaking if you sleep too long during the day, then this will disrupt night time sleep, so it’s important to find the right balance. But if you can’t find that balance you better stop napping during the day. [...]
October 17, 2006
[...] Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of sleep and how a power nap can help you: [...]
November 21, 2006
[...] Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of sleep and how a power nap can help you: [...]
February 12, 2007
[...] Power Napping by superjunaid February 12th, 2007 in Research While small children typically take naps in the afternoon, our culture generally frowns upon mid-day sleep. However, even in those who get enougth sleep, many people experience a natural decrease in drowsiness in the afternoon, about 8 hours after waking. Reserch shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a power nap, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and also many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their bodys ability to build muscle. Napping also benefits heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick, a scientist at the Salk Institute for Biologicak Studies. Source: Ririan Project [...]
February 12, 2007
I have got to learn from this, from today onwards. I’ll start with a micro-nap just to see the effectiveness.
February 12, 2007
[...] There was a post on ririanproject about power napping and I thought it was really interesting, especially since I’m a big fan of sleeping in school. The post quotes Dr. Sara Mednick: 1. The first consideration is psychological: Recognize that you’re not being lazy; napping will make you more productive and more alert after you wake up. 2. Try to nap in the morning or just after lunch; human circadian rhythms make late afternoons a more likely time to fall into deep (slow-wave) sleep, which will leave you groggy. 3. Avoid consuming large quantities of caffeine as well as foods that are heavy in fat and sugar, which meddle with a person’s ability to fall asleep. 4. Instead, in the hour or two before your nap time, eat foods high in calcium and protein, which promote sleep. 5. Find a clean, quiet place where passersby and phones won’t disturb you. 6. Try to darken your nap zone, or wear an eyeshade. Darkness stimulates melatonin, the sleep- inducing hormone. 7. Remember that body temperature drops when you fall asleep. Raise the room temperature or use a blanket. 8. Once you are relaxed and in position to fall asleep, set your alarm for the desired duration (see below). [...]
February 12, 2007
What I need is an alarm clock that starts when I fall asleep…
February 12, 2007
[...] read more | digg story [link] [...]
February 12, 2007
kevin,
That’s called your manager.
February 12, 2007
[...] Power nap! [...]
February 13, 2007
Shouldn’t it read “people experience a natural *increase* (rather than decrease) in drowsiness in the afternoon”?
February 13, 2007
[...] gay superman and batman Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle… gay batman robinread more | digg story [...]
February 13, 2007
Good article!!!
February 13, 2007
I wonder how much is really happening and how much is induced/placebo/self fulfilling prophecy effect. (I sleep so I must feel better)
February 13, 2007
No matter how peak your performance is after napping, it’s probably still best to spell check.
That way your title is more likely to include the work “performance” than “performence”.
IMHO
February 13, 2007
[...] wonder woman .gif images Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle… wonder woman 3d xxxread more | digg story [...]
February 13, 2007
[...] Power Napping Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and also many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle. (tags: health) [...]
February 13, 2007
[...] ‘Power Naps‘, good for physical and mental performance. [...]
February 13, 2007
Anyone with hacks on how to do this while you’re at a place of employment. The common solutions just don’t seem to cut it:
a. Sleeping in car: uncomfortable, and not private
b. Sleeping in a bathroom stall: semi-private, but cold, and a little bit weird!
c. Sleepin in the park (If one is available): pleasant (on a warm day!), but not private.
February 13, 2007
“many people experience a natural decrease in drowsiness in the afternoon”
Shouldn’t it say “increase in drowsiness” or “decrease in alertness”?
February 13, 2007
[...] Power Napping – Improved Mental And Physical Performence Guess I must be a complete idiot, I can’t power nap. If anything I’ll sleep for hours. (tags: Health Productivity Sleep Science) [...]
February 14, 2007
[...] Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle…read more | digg story These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
February 14, 2007
[...] Power Napping – Improved Mental And Physical Performence Filed under: Uncategorized — recar @ 11:38 am Power Napping – Improved Mental And Physical Performence Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle…[news][entertainment][science][health] [...]
February 17, 2007
[...] Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle…read more | digg story [...]
February 17, 2007
[...] Now, i may be a proponent to naptime, but, i didn’t know there were categories for naptime. You havenano-nap: 10-20 s of nodding off sleep (pointless)micro-nap: 2-5 min (good for getting rid of sleepiness)Mini-nap: 5-20 min (good for everything)aaaaaandthe original power nap: 20 min (everyones happy!)and then, the lazy man’s nap sneaks up on you: 50-90 minutes.Funny…..i want to take a nap now, even though then i know im going to wake up at 9 am tomorrow. Oh well. Read the full article advocating naptime at Ririan Project [...]
February 25, 2007
Not too many people making fun of the Spanish “siesta” anymore! Maybe that is why we look at life more positively than other cultures!
March 12, 2007
[...] Power Napping – Improved Mental And Physical Performence Posted on March 13th, 2007 in Noni Juice by noniman Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Mid-day sleep, or a “power nap”, means more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency and many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body’s ability to build muscle…read more | digg story Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
March 18, 2007
[...] Read ‘Power Napping – Improved Mental And Physical Performance’ [...]
October 28, 2007
[...] read more | digg story [...]
January 4, 2008
[...] read more | digg story [...]
January 31, 2008
Thanks for sharing
February 7, 2008
[...] 5 Reasons To Take Naps from ririanproject lists some of the benefits of sleep and how a power nap can help you be more productive and alert. [...]
February 15, 2008
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I gotta get more sleep sometimes too. I’ve found that after a workout I grab my shake, take a nap, then wake up hungry for a real meal, then I’m ready for something else again. I usually only nap for about 20 mins or less, but it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes to my day!
Thanks,
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