Do you power nap?

You’ve most certainly heard of siestas in the middle of the day in many cultures. Fact is, everyone feels a bit of a slump in energy levels by the time they’re half way through the day and could do with a short nap that will refresh and revive.

It is called power-napping. I never believed in it – because the idea of a “short” nap always seems odd to me. I assume I’ll just sleep off for several hours and waste the day. I come from a family where even the octogenarians do not believe in dozing in the afternoons, so it is a difficult habit to adopt.

Still, I’ve been reading a lot about the power of a er…power nap. Added to this are the facts that I am an early riser: to send off husband to work and kid to school and pack their lunch boxes by 8 am; also, the weather has begun to turn really warm – and I find that around 2 pm, my eyes droop involuntarily – particularly if I happen to be reading something. The letters just swim before my eyes and I get into a semi-daze.

But that is not the way to power nap. To get the optimum benefit out of a power nap, you need to:

• get comfortable (couch, bed, arm chair, or head on desk at work)
• be in a quiet area (use ear plugs if you have to or just shut the door if you can
• make it 15 – 20 minutes (or you’ll find it real hard to sleep at night)
• not worry about oversleeping (set the alarm on your cell phone/clock) 

When you wake up after 20 minutes, stretch – and feel the difference!

Oh, and don’t forget to check with your boss if you are power napping at work – you don’t want anyone thinking you’re slacking off. It is a good idea to say that you will be using part of your lunch break to power nap and that it will  make you more productive post-lunch. Can’t see your boss saying “no” to that, can you?

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Cheers!

Vidya