Our current lifestyle is such that we may not get adequate sleep during the night.
We often need to keep up late hours because we have so much work to do or because we are socializing, and that can be a problem for our sleep timings.
To add to that, we might also need to wake up early in the morning, this could wreck our schedule too.
That is the reason why some people have invented the idea of a power nap.
A power nap is a short nap, usually of just a few hours, during which you sleep in a sound and undisturbed manner, and wake up feeling totally refreshed.
Hitherto considered impossible, now more and more people are trying out power naps and are succeeding at them too.
They are finding that taking such short power naps throughout the day keeps them perked up and they can do more than they usually do with their deprived sleep routines.
Power naps have several physiological benefits as well. They are not just about giving us some much-needed sleep, but they can actually help us biologically. We may live longer because of power naps. We are going to see these benefits as well.
Most people are more than aware of how difficult it can be to stay awake in the heat of the middle parts of the day. As the early afternoon approaches, many of us find it difficult to stay awake.
We become drowsy and find it very difficult to focus and complete our work. Some people find they hallucinate or fall asleep for a few minutes. These situations can be extremely dangerous, especially if handling electrical equipment or driving a car.
Why we feel that sleepy is due to many factors. Our internal body clock and our natural body rhythms, the temperature of the environment we are working in, the lighting in that environment, how much time we spend working on computers and what we eat for our breaks all play an important role in how we feel in the afternoon.
There is growing evidence that a 20-minute nap in the afternoon improves focus and memory, which increases productivity and workplace safety.
Those who work at home or who are in a position to take this “power” nap will benefit from it and should take advantage of the opportunity to have one whenever they can.
Many cultures around the world have recognized the need to close shops, schools, and businesses and include an afternoon siesta into the daily routine.
Today, in the fast-paced lifestyles of the industrialized world are embracing the afternoon nap, not so much as a luxury, but a necessity to help them deal with the many expectations on their time in the afternoon and evening.
Workplaces around the world are providing space for their staff to take a power nap, recognizing the benefit to the workplace when staff does have time to take one.
If this is not possible in your workplace, there are things you can do:-
Power Naps Tips
1.) Take a 10-minute nap in your car or in another safe area during your lunch break.
Even these ten minutes could mean a lot to you. However, when you are preparing yourself to take such a short nap, make sure to free your mind of all distractions just surrender yourself completely to sleep. Maybe you could use some soothing music to help you free your mind completely. When you wake up, you will feel the difference.
2.) Take some time during your lunch break to include exercise.
Physical exercise improves circulation of the blood, improves oxygen levels in the blood, and raises body temperature all of which reduces drowsiness and fatigue.
Consequently, when you try to take a power nap later in the day, you will find that the short surrender to sleep comes more easily to you.
If you keep working your body effectively, then sleep patterns will definitely improve and you will find the difference in these short power naps you take as well.
3.) Eat lunch that is not high in sugar or carbohydrates.
Include protein sources such as low-fat cheese, meat or chicken to reduce the chance of a sudden drop in blood sugar levels which create a lack of energy and feelings of drowsiness.
Heavy foods have a tendency to make you lose sleep, and even if you do fall asleep, your sleep will be highly erratic. The best way is to keep a light meal, which helps you psychologically as well.
4.) Go for a walk and increase the amount of natural light in your work area to reduce melatonin production levels in the afternoon.
Apart from that, the walk in the natural beauty that you take will also help your body to control its mind in a better way and, reluctantly, you will be able to sleep better.
5.) Join a meditation class, especially Yoga.
In these classes, you will be taught how you can control your mind. This is a very important thing to learn, especially in today’s times.
When you learn how to control your mind, you will be able to switch it ‘on’ or ‘off’ as desired. This can go a long way in improving your health.
First, you will be taught through various asanas, mainly the Shavasana, that you can completely surrender your body and let it loose in both the physiological and psychological sense.
This helps us to free ourselves from our bodies for a while, and the body goes to sleep. This is a wonderful way to find those important snatches of sleep, wherever you are.
You may not be able to perform the Shavasana at all times, but you will certainly be able to learn how to have those all-important power naps whenever you need to.
6.) You can have a short power nap in your swiveling chair itself.
All you have to do is to lock the door and tell people not to disturb you for the next 20 minutes.
Then, pull the shades if you can, settle in the most comfortable position you can on the chair and close your eyes.
Free your mind from all its thoughts, or think about something pleasant. You will find that sleep encompasses you soon, and you will have your power nap.
When you have these power naps, in the beginning, you may find it difficult to wake up at the right time.
But as time passes, this will become a habit. Initially, you may have to set an alarm on your cell phone to wake you up or you may have to tell someone to do that.
However, soon your body’s system will adjust to the new routine and you will find out that you are able to sleep more easily, and wake up on the dot.
These simple steps may help reduce the afternoon drowsiness and enable you to function in the afternoons with as much productivity as when you arrived at work that morning.
Combining them with a regular time to wake up and go to bed and a healthy lifestyle approach to diet and exercise will help you feel more energized and able to increase your personal productivity.
Binaural Beats for Proper Sleep
When we are having a discussion on power naps, it is relevant to speak about binaural beats as well. Binaural beats are a specific kind of music, which are made up of specific natural sounds that have a soothing effect on the human body.
You might find sounds like birds chirping, insects humming, grass swishing in the breeze, ocean waves moving in rhythm and such others in these binaural beats.
When you are preparing for your power nap, just play this music. You will experience the benefits right away.
You will find that, as soon as the music begins to play, your mind will surrender itself to the rhythm of the beats. As these are mostly natural sounds, your mind will completely give itself up to them.
A typical binaural beats track lasts around 20 minutes. This is exactly the time you require for your power nap. You could get this kind of music in MP3 form, downloadable from the Internet.
Get it on your MP3 player or iPod and use it whenever you want. Just shut your eyes and let the music play. You will soon fall asleep, and you will see a vast difference when you wake up.
Even if you are suffering from problems such as sleeplessness or insomnia, binaural beats can help.
A lot of people are recommended using this music at night so that they can get proper sleep, and not have to toss and turn in bed for long.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- A power nap is a short nap, usually of just a few hours, during which you sleep in a sound and undisturbed manner, and wake up feeling totally refreshed.
- There is growing evidence that a 20-minute nap in the afternoon improves focus and memory, which increases productivity and workplace safety.
Here are the things you can do in your workplace
- Take a 10-minute nap in your car or in another safe area during your lunch break.
- Take some time during your lunch break to include exercise.
- Eat lunch that is not high in sugar or carbohydrates.
- Go for a walk and increase the amount of natural light in your work area to reduce melatonin production levels in the afternoon.
- Join a meditation class, especially Yoga.
- You can have a short power nap in your swiveling chair itself.
Binaural Beats for Proper Sleep
- Binaural beats are a specific kind of music, which are made up of specific natural sounds that have a soothing effect on the human body.
TAKEAWAY QUESTIONS
– Do you find some time to have power naps in the afternoon or whenever needed?
– What strategies are you doing to have an effective power nap?
– Have you tried listening to binaural beats?
– What other effective sleeping strategies you know?
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