Rachel Pelta says a power nap during the working day can make you more productive and focused when you return to business. She has some advice on how to make it happen.
Call it the late afternoon slide, the post-lunch slump, or just plain feeling tired. There are times when you could really benefit from a nap.
However, work and naps often don’t mix. Or, do they?
There are plenty of benefits to napping during your work day. When done the right way, a nap can power your afternoon and help you achieve workplace success.
A study by NASA found that strategic naps can enhance performance and alertness, with pilot performance improving 34 per cent after a 26-minute nap.
In addition to improving your performance, napping at work can have other benefits.
The right kind of power nap can help you feel more relaxed; reduce fatigue; improve your mood; boost your memory; help you focus and even lower blood pressure.
Of course, for all the benefits of napping, there are some nap downsides to be aware of.
First, there’s sleep inertia. That’s the groggy, disoriented, not-quite-awake feeling you have after a nap or even a full night’s rest.
Sleep inertia is the ‘in between’ state of being fully asleep and fully awake, and it happens when you suddenly wake during rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep.
In REM sleep you have high levels of melatonin in your body. Melatonin is what causes sleepiness, and too much in your system when you wake up keeps you feeling sleepy.
If you enter REM sleep during your nap, when the alarm goes off, you could have a difficult time waking up and working the rest of the day.
Second, naps aren’t for everyone. If you have insomnia or usually have problems sleeping at night, a daytime power nap could make these night-time sleep problems worse.
However, if you’ve decided that napping is right for you, here are few tips to help make the most of it.
Keep your naps short: Try to nap for no longer than 10-to-20 minutes. Any longer and you might suffer from sleep inertia when you wake up.
Earlier is better: If you work the standard nine-to-five day, napping before 3pm is best.
Napping later might negatively impact your night-time sleep. That said, depending on your work schedule, a nap later in the day might be okay, but still limit your nap to no more than 20 minutes.
Get comfy: Nap someplace that’s quiet, dark, and cool. Make use of white noise and a mask if that helps, and consider a guided meditation to help your mind relax.
Take off your shoes and try to lie down when you can.
If you work at home, it’s probably pretty easy to find a place that meets these requirements, but if it’s the office, it might not be as simple.
A private office is, of course, a good bet, but if you work in an open office, your car can be a decent nap spot if you plan ahead.
Park far away from other spots whenever possible, or park wherever you’ll get the least amount of foot traffic.
Use noise-cancelling headphones or white noise to block out sound and recline the seat.
Drink some coffee: This sounds like the exact opposite of what you would want to do, but check this out.
Drinking a small amount of coffee (200mg, or approximately two cups) just before your nap can reduce post-nap sleepiness and help you power through your afternoon.
It takes about 45 minutes to feel the effects of the caffeine. By the time you’ve had your coffee and napped, the caffeine will just start kicking in, giving you the benefits of both.
Set an alarm: Since you probably can’t rely on your internal clock to wake you on time, set an alarm to get you up after the 10 or 20 minutes.
Don’t hit snooze for “five more minutes”. There’s a chance you’ll sleep longer than you mean to.
Though some organisations have embraced — and even encourage — napping on the job, it’s not a common perk.
However, if you can squeeze in a power nap, you might find yourself more productive and focused when you work.
*Rachel Pelta is a Content Coordinator for FlexJobs. She creates content to help people succeed in their job search, and to help managers get the best out of their staff.
This article first appeared on the FlexJobs website.
