At one point or another, everyone has experienced the grueling pain of staying awake after an unsatisfying night of sleep. Whether you had to scramble to finish a school project or clock in an extra shift at work, you weren't able to rest for the full recommended eight hours. With body aches and fatigue pulling at your eyelids, even sitting upright becomes an exhausting task the following day.
As an adult with responsibilities to tend to, you can't just drop everything and call it a night at 2:00pm when the coffee starts to wear off. Rather, you can opt to take a power nap.
Not only do naps reduce fatigue, but they also improve mood and performance. In fact, they've been proven to decrease reaction time and enhance memory. Thus, it would be more productive to re-energize by napping than to push through assignments fighting for consciousness.
Now that we've established the benefits of napping, how can you effectively nap?
If you simply need a boost in energy, a short power nap would be the best strategy. Try to keep it under thirty minutes to avoid the crippling effects of sleep inertia. Most experts recommend napping earlier in the afternoon to avoid difficulties sleeping during the nighttime, preferably before 4:00pm.
Now that you've determined the length and time of your nap, find a location that would be comfortable for you to rest in. A dark and quiet spot would be ideal, preferably with a bed or a couch. If this isn't available in your current setting, just putting your head down on your desk with some headphones normally does the trick.
Before heading back to work after your nap, make sure to give yourself a couple minutes to reorient and allow your body to fully wake up. To maximize the refreshing effects of a power nap, try drinking a caffeinated drink just before you go to sleep. Whether it's coffee or soda, the caffeine will kick in around half an hour later (around when you wake up) and leave you feeling energized and ready to tackle your workload.
Thus, next time you catch yourself dozing off at your desk, try taking a quick power nap instead of trying to fight the fatigue. Happy napping!
