The afternoon nap, recharge to continue with your day in good spirits. But who has time for a full afternoon nap in this busy life? This can be done faster with a power nap, which lasts much shorter. No matter how busy you are, there is always time for a power nap. In fact, with the perfect power nap you will be able to perform your other tasks with more focus and speed. So don’t waste your time taking a nap. If you do it right, it will pay you a lot!
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Fully charging yourself with energy with a short nap, that is a power nap. It is also called the astronaut’s nap, because it was invented (like memory foam) by NASA. Astronauts sleep significantly less in space, which is impractical given the complexity of their work. A power nap makes them more alert, energetic and productive. It reduces stress, because your head is cleared for a while. In the long term, this is positive for the prevention of burnout and cardiovascular disease. And best of all, this works not only in space, but also with both feet on the ground. Or in the chair, or on your bed, that makes sleeping a bit easier.
Sleeping longer does not give you a better quality recovery time. A power nap is a way to catch up on sleep deprivation, because the quality is good. And because a power nap is super fast, this miracle sleep has no adverse effect on falling asleep in the evening.
The short power nap lasts no more than twenty minutes. You fall asleep and go through the light sleep phase. Then your alarm goes off and you get up alert and full of energy. A short power nap therefore hardly takes any time.
With a long power nap, you go through all four sleep phases: falling asleep, light sleep, deep sleep and the REM phase . This takes about an hour and a half in total. If you have the time for a long power nap, you will wake up rested afterwards. If you wake up during deep or REM sleep, i.e. between 30 and 80 minutes, you will feel sluggish and disoriented.
You may already hear your boss grumbling, but present it anyway. You may not work during a twenty-minute power nap, but in the following hours you will more than make up for that thanks to your increased focus. Moreover, the afternoon is the ideal time for a power nap.
Ideally, you should take these fantastic naps regularly and around the same time, between 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM to get the most benefit. Earlier in the day you should still have enough energy from last night, and later in the day falling asleep the night after is in danger. The time you normally get up and go to bed does have some influence on this.
The most important tip for a power nap is that ‘no time’ is no excuse. Because if you do it right, you get more done afterwards and you save time. So just plan it in your agenda, then you can be sure that you don’t start too late. And plan the length: either twenty minutes, or an hour and a half.
For the most benefits, make sure you sleep well. In addition to the perfect time, you also do this in the most ideal environment, at home or at work. If possible, make the space around you as dark as possible. Preferably in a bedroom, but wearing a sleeping mask in your office chair also works. A cooler room is also ideal for a perfect power nap, so turn the heating down in time. In addition, it is important not to be disturbed, so preferably everyone in the same room as you participate and inform other disruptors. Turn off your computer screen and sound and put your phone on airplane mode. No incoming apps, phone calls and emails, but your alarm clock still works. Because that alarm clock is also essential, so that you don’t sleep too long. And of course you can’t snooze.
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Written by
Milan Roelofs
My name is Milan Roelofs and I am one of the two founders of Morningstar Sleeps. At Morningstar we have a mission and that is to provide as many people as possible with a good night's sleep. We do this by selling perhaps the best mattress on the market. But also by providing people with as much information about sleeping and giving as many tips and tricks as possible. Sleep has an unprecedented importance and therefore we take our mission seriously.
Frequently Asked Questions
A short power nap lasts twenty minutes. A long power nap lasts an hour and a half and is a way to catch up on sleep, because you go through the entire sleep cycle.
A power nap is very healthy! It may seem like it takes a lot of time, but after a successful power nap you wake up so energetic that you can easily make up for that lost time with your extra focus.
