BY SHAGUFTA ALI | DKODING
Power nap – are you excited or not?
The fact is that we love dogs but have you noticed it when they napped peacefully and you feel a bit jealous because that’s in the middle of the day and you just can’t do it.
Unlike dogs there, humans are monophasic, not polyphasic which means that they take their sleep once for a bigger chunk of time and take their rest at one time rather than multiple shorter periods of time. That means according to nature and society we are allowed to take fewer naps then our pets. But there are exceptions to this monophasic rule and that is Power Nap.
Definition of a power nap
Though we know that it is one of the most amazing productivity hacks, a power nap is something which helps you to become more alert and refreshed while working. There is no such specific time for having a power nap and this will help you to keep your memory strong, accurate and it will help you out in last-minute decision making.
The time limit for a power nap
So if in case you don’t know there are different stages of a power nap. It’s just that you should be able to understand what is the best time limit for you to take a power nap. For the real power effect you should be napping around 20 to 30 minutes and to be more productive after your nap, you have to make sure that your sleep cycle is not getting into REM stage (one of the deepest sleeping stage).
If you delve into the deeper stage that will occur after 30 minutes of sleep and you will wake up feeling more tired and dazed than you were before your nap. This is called sleep inertia.
When we sleep our brain starts inching towards different patterns of sleep which is of approximately 90-120 minutes. Some of the sleep stages are deeper and some of them are lighter.
It takes 70 to 120 minutes for a person to get into the REM stage which takes you into a dream world. Humans want to get into deep stages of sleep at night but when we talk about power nap, we want to stay on a lighter stage of sleep.
There are many companies that allow their employees to have “nap pods” because it improves the performance and that too helps your brain to work faster. So if you want to get rid of the bad night then you can keep having mid-day rest.
Exact Time for a power nap
Our body takes a power nap at around from 12 to 2 pm. The major reason behind that is the circadian rhythms that align with the timing perfectly in most of the people.
And generally, a normal person will wake up in the morning and go to bed at night then there is a possibility that your circadian rhythm will tilt towards sleep twice in a day.
One is at night and the other one is at midday. But it’s not a big deal if you just steal a moment and take a quick nap at 4 p.m. the most important thing about napping is that is should be short and shallow.
What is caffeine nap?
There is one more type of nap that is called caffeine nap which works for high-functioning people around the world who have understood how caffeine nap works. It starts with drinking a cup of coffee ( tea, espresso or you can have a caffeine tablet).
The next thing is to immediately doze off and get into napping mode. Ideally when you wake up the caffeine will kick-off. This trick will work safe and effective and it can give you a restart to your day till the time you are not over from the caffeine zone.
People who shouldn’t power nap
People who find it hard to sleep at night or maybe they are suffering from insomnia, should not prefer to have a power nap. So there is an old saying that “if you sleep more a day the less you will sleep at night”.
The thing is humans are monophasic and are preferred to sleep for one large chunk of time. This is the best way how your body works in a perfect way. Napping is not considered for everyone and it can make insomnia worse.
If you sleep during day time then there are possibilities that you will not be able to achieve REM at night or will not be able to get proper sleep.
If you are one of those who feel sleepy whole day even after taking proper 7-8 hours of sleep then there’s some issue with your body because of which you are continuously feeling sleepy. You should see a doctor for this as it can lead to a few ailments.
Never underestimate the benefits of a power nap.
