Never underestimate the benefits of power naps.
What is a power nap?
It’s simply a short period of sleep. I would say it’s just an add-on to boost your midday energy naturally.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the best time for an adult to nap is between 10 and 20 minutes.
These short naps are also known as power naps. Here are my top 5 power napping tips
#1 Don’t take a power nap if you do not have control over your sleep
I highly recommend not trying to take a power nap if you are lazy or don’t have the power to leave the bed after 20 minutes of a nap.
I’ve never seen my partner take a 20-minute nap. She always says, “Okay, I’m going to take a quick 20-minute sleep,” and then she wakes up after 3–4 hours. Lol
#2 Always use an alarm clock
I set my alarm on iPhone or Alexa for a max of 21 minutes. The trick is I always keep the iPhone in the living room or Alexa in the kitchen at max volume.
#3 The optimal time for a nap
This is pretty debatable; I would suggest not taking a nap for more than 20 minutes.
I have been practicing power naps for the past few years, and even for me, it’s hard to wake up after more than 20 minutes of rest.
#4 Push-ups after nap
I immediately do 10–20 push-ups in a row or sometimes squats after waking up to boost my energy level. I accidentally developed this habit which is working great.
#5 Don’t nap after 7 pm
I go to bed around 11:45 pm.
Please do not take a nap close to your sleeping time.
I prefer to take nap midday or after completing my work. For me, time is not important as long as it’s before 7 pm.
Benefits of a power nap
Here are a couple of health benefits of power napping.
To relieve fatigue
To alleviate muscular aches and pains
To boost your mood
To promote cardiovascular health
To enhance memory
To boost physical performance
To raise your alert level
It may help to improve your night’s sleep as long as the nap is not close to your bedtime.
The bottom line
Sleep is the best meditation. — Dalai Lama
Power naps are one of the best ways to recharge your body to handle the rest of the day. I consider power napping a small subset of the quality sleep that always puts me in a great mood.
Research shows that a merely 20 minutes power nap will help to boost your mental health and increase your focus.
Power napping is part of the 30-day challenge. So far, I have completed 12+ 30-day challenges to boost productivity and a healthy lifestyle. Here is the link if you would like to read it.
