Master the art of napping

Learn the Difference Between Short Naps and Long Naps
The secret to a successful nap is to know how long it should be. Studies show that a complete sleep cycle takes 90 minutes. This means that a 90-minute shut-eye allows you to enter REM sleep which can enhance creativity. If you don’t have the luxury of taking a longer slumber, keep your catnap to 25-40 minutes to gain alertness and improve your performance. A few minutes more or less, and you’ll feel worse than you did before you went to sleep. Been there, done that!

Take Caffeine Naps
If you want to avoid the grogginess but want a shut-eye between 30-90 minutes, forget conventional wisdom that coffee will interfere with your sleep. It won’t if you’re strategic about it. First off, make sure you avoid taking caffeine naps so close to your bedtime as you would a regular nap. Studies show that to get the most out of your caffeine nap, quickly drink a cup of joe right before a 20-minute nap. The caffeine will kick in 20-minutes after you’ve had which means you’ll feel energized and sharp immediately after you wake up, and you’ll stay that way for up to four hours.

FOR THE

CAFFEINE NAPS

Know the Golden Hour of Naps
Can your energy level be compared to that of a sloth’s? Do you feel like you’ve just entered a walk-in fridge? Is the time between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.? That’s just your body telling you it’s nap time. Our body temperature tends to dip in the afternoon which makes us groggy and less alert. A nap at this time will get you back to your energizer bunny self without affecting your nighttime slumber. Take a nap later than that, and your body may not be ready for more sleep.

Be an Environmentalist
As we’ve mentioned in our study and a bunch of other articles, a well-designed bedroom can do wonders for your sleep hygiene. Choosing great materials that help regulate your body temperature while you’re asleep will allow you to get the most out of your naps. So, if you’re cold and need to stay warmer, flannel should be spread out on your bed. If you’re too hot, go for a Tencel bedding. Besides helping you regulate your body temperature and being aesthetically pleasing, choosing long-lasting and sustainable bedding will help you decrease your carbon footprint. And that will sure give you the peace of mind that’ll have you sleeping like a baby.

Keep Distractions Away
This is probably the most obvious yet hardest tip of them all. Keep your phones, TV and any disturbance away from your napping zone. Especially your phone. Keeping it in a different room will discourage you from reaching out for it as soon as you a Google-able question pops up when you’re trying to count sheep. If you’ve done that and are still distracted by the white noise or construction sounds around you, use noise-canceling headphones.

Equipped with this pro-napper guide we’re sure you’ll be the best version of yourself.