Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap — Barbara Jordan
Taking a 15–20 minutes nap each afternoon is a part of my 30-day challenge to build sustainable healthy habits.
In the past couple of months, I have completed 10 30-day challenges, including napping.
I firmly believe there are three main pillars of excellent health:
i) Good food
ii) Good exercise
iii) Good sleep
It’s like a tripod. If anyone pillar is missing, your health is at risk.
What is a good nap time?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the best nap for adults are 10 to 20 minutes.
These naps are also known as power naps because ideal naps (10–20 min long) do provide recovery benefits without feeling the person sleepy afterward.
How to take the best power nap?
Here is my 5-step approach to taking the best power nap.
Step-1 set an alarm
Keep it simple; I use my iPhone — Hey Siri, start a timer for 20 minutes!
Step-2 Nap between 12–3 PM
The best time to take a nap is when you feel your body needs a rest.
I am an early morning person, out of bed max 6/7 am, lunch around 12:30 pm, and I think the best time for napping is 1:40 pm.
I work from home and can take a break anytime as long as there is no meeting.
Tip: I also love to take a nap when I cannot focus on one thing at a time to recharge my energy.
Step-3 Napping environment is paramount
It will be easier for someone who works from home to go to bed and simply have a quality power nap.
After lunch, my colleague used to go to his car for a 20-minute power sleep.
Even if you are working on-site and have our own office, that will help you find a peaceful time.
I wrote a detailed article on optimizing your bedroom for quality sleep. Here is the link.
Sleep Science, How to Sleep Productively
Step-4 Don’t worry about anything!
Don’t take any stress when you are considering taking a nap.
It’s time to relax and get that energy back to handle the deadline. Don’t even think anything negative just focuses on your 20 minutes of prime time.
Step-5 Why napping
I love to take a nap to recharge myself.
It’s crucial to find out why you are taking the power nap? What are your intentions?
Caveat: According to my research, napping is good for everyone. In fact, some individuals find napping counterproductive. For example, individuals with insomnia may avoid napping or consult their physician.
What can power naps do to your body?
Why are naps super important, and what do they do to your body in the long run? Here are a couple of proven benefits.
- To reduce tiredness
- To reduce muscle soreness
- To boost mood
- To improve heart health
- To improve memory
- To improve physical performance.
- To increase the alert level
- It might help to improve your nighttime sleep
Did I see power napping results after 33 days?
A day without a nap is like a cupcake without frosting. — Terri Guillemets
Short answer: Yes
I would say these 30-day challenges are helping me a lot to live a more productive and healthy life. I quit a couple of them, but most are part of my daily routine.
My mantra is straightforward if I feel mentally tired, it’s time to take a power nap.
I am a huge fan of power naps. Even before starting the 30-day power nap challenge, I used to take a nap but without consistency.
- Power naps help me to think clearly to handle complex challenges.
- I also felt that my body needs a power nap at a particular time, like post 1:30 pm. It’s just a signal to rest or recharge your body.
- This is the massive one — I definitely increased my alertness after merely sleeping for 20 minutes.
- People say naps helped them to improve their memory. I did not see this, or maybe my memory is already super strong at this stage of my life. lol
- It took, on average, 21–22 minutes to take the power nap.
- I tried my best to take the power nap at the same time every day, but somedays wasn’t possible due to meetings or workload.
The bottom line
Everyone agrees that sleep really is the best medicine.
Power napping is the subset of sleep to get almost the same effects without disturbing your long hour’s sleep.
Many studies show that tiny (10–20 minutes) naps have tremendous positive effects on your mental and physical health.
As I observed, a good midday power nap can help you increase your alertness, reduce stress, and improve your mood. I can guarantee that you will see results in merely two weeks if you do the power nap consistently.
