Getting the most out of a Power Nap

In the UK, the idea of a quick kip in the middle of the day is seen to be “lazy”, but many Mediterranean countries have been enjoying a siesta forever, and it’s 100% acceptable.

Being able to power nap at work is quite literally the dream, but I doubt your boss is going to allow you to do it any time outside of your lunch break! Either way, if you have a particularly exhausting day over the weekend, it can be a good idea to have a few minutes of shut-eye.

It’s not just about dozing off for an hour or so though, there’s a few things you should consider when it comes to taking the perfect power nap. If you don’t do it quite right, there won’t have been any point in doing it and you risk messing up your body clock.

Don’t force yourself

Just to get one thing straight, if you suffer from insomnia or struggle with sleeping in general, power napping might be the best thing for you. It can mess with your body clock, and you may end up not being able to sleep at all when it comes to actual bed time.

How long should you nap?

With power napping, you don’t want to be asleep for too long, or too little. Too long, and you’ll fall into a deep sleep, making you feel quite wrecked when you wake up. Too little, and you may as well have no bothered.

To get from the “drifiting off” stage to the “brain shut down” stage usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes, so you don’t want to be sleeping for any longer than that. An alarm is definitely going to come useful here.

When should you nap?

Countries such as Spain have probably hit the nail on the head here with their siesta time. Any time between 12pm and 3pm is probably going to be best, just after your lunch.

Most people start to lose focus after lunch, so it makes sense to recharge yourself a little bit at this point. Just don’t do it any time after 3pm, or you risk being awake all night.

What else is there to know?

As long as you’re in a distraction-free area, and you are comfortable, that’s pretty much it. If you’re able to lie down then that’s best but a comfy reclined chair will probably be enough if you have one.

Make sure there’s no distractions, unless you have an alarm set for wake-up time. No mobiles, no laptops – just enjoy 20 minutes to yourself! When you wake up, you’ll feel re-energised! (hopefully).

Let us know if a quick power nap works for you. Malcolm doesn’t let us do it in the office because he’s mean, but maybe you’ll be able to get the opportunity!