Your Guide To 20 Minute Napping
In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to get run down, groggy, or just overall exhausted. The idea of napping every day sounds heavenly, but for most of us, is unrealistic for our busy schedule. On the off chance we do get the opportunity for some shut eye mid-afternoon, it’s a common struggle to get back to the fast pace we started off with in the wee hours of the day. What if there was a way to take 20 minutes out of your schedule to relax, wake up rejuvenated, and ready to conquer your tasks? Well there is! Here is your guide.
Timing is Everything
For most people, the perfect time for a quick snooze is between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM for approximately 20 minutes. Because our bodies are constantly on a 24-hour schedule (also known as a circadian rhythm), it is usually best to try and nap around 6 to 8 hours after waking up. Napping too late in the day can interfere with your nighttime sleep and can create an inconsistent resting schedule. 20 minutes is ideal because it allows our bodies to reach a light rest, slowing our heart rate and dropping our body temperature. This is also known as “stage 2 sleep”. Stage 2 sleep is our body’s way of preparing us for a deep slumber, so setting a timer for 20 minutes eliminates the risk of slipping into the groggy kind of nap known as slow-wave sleep.
Caffeine Naps
A cup of coffee is usually everyone’s go-to for a middle of the day pick me up, but did you know you could combine your favorite Starbucks beverage with your siesta? Caffeine takes about 20 minutes to kick into your system- which is conveniently the exact nap length you should take! While setting an alarm is highly recommended, if you drink caffeine before your nap, it will act as a natural alarm, waking you up just in time to ready yourself for your next activity of the day. This will also shorten your wake-up time, and aid in rejuvenation to avoid any small amounts of drowsiness.
Nap Kit
While napping in the middle of the day may seem easy in theory, it can be difficult in practice - most people can’t run home and jump into bed for a quick 20, and lying on the floor in the middle of your office with a pillow and a blanket doesn’t necessarily scream “employee of the month”. This is why a nap kit is imperative to your shut eye routine. This kit consists of a few items:
sleep mask
neck pillow
ear plugs/headphones
That’s it! It can be easy to find lots of excuses that would interrupt your midday dreaming. Whether the room is too bright or the traffic outside is too loud, always having these three essential items will allow you to catch some Z’s without your bed present.
Practice Makes Pros
It’s common knowledge that the more we do something the better we get at it, so it’s important to go with grace when adding this to your daily routine. It can be frustrating at first, and often difficult to quiet your mind fast enough to take a quick snooze. Once our bodies become accustomed to this short brain-shutdown however, the easier it will be to drift off quickly and wake up at the perfect time.
Napping can still seem lazy to some, and with our common burnout culture in the 21st century, it can be easy to develop that mindset as well. The reality, however, is people who nap are proven to be more alert than their non-napping peers and can have higher performance levels overall. While it is important to push yourself, even the greats like Einstein, Leonardo da Vince, Winston Churchill, and JFK knew the power of a catnap. Sleep is in fact not for the weak and may just help you reach your goals more readily!