Personal Productivity: Mid-Afternoon Naps are Just the Ticket!
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Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs
July 27, 2004
Many people feel a mid-afternoon slump in mood and alertness, especially after a poor night of sleep. Many believe that this slump is caused by eating a heavy lunch. However, in reality, this occurs because we were meant to have a mid-afternoon nap.
Implemented by cultures near the equator, presumable to escape the hot mid-day sun, nature intended that we take a nap in the middle of the day. Along with a slight drop in body temperature, it seems as if we have a biological readiness for sleep in the afternoons. Whether lunch is consumed or not, the wont to take an afternoon nap is still as strong one.
Research shows that an afternoon nap as short at ten minutes can enhance mood, alertness and mental performance especially after a night when you haven’t had a good nights sleep.
Now you may think that taking an afternoon nap will make you more tired, but quite the opposite is true. A nap of no longer than 45 can leave you feeling refresh and energized, after the sleep inertia (grogginess) dissipates.
Unfortunately, the culture in the USA had been structured as such to allow for an afternoon nap. Most places barely get a half hour for lunch, and some people choose not to take a lunch at all, but work and eat lunch at the same time. I have to raise my hand and join that group: I work through lunch so that I can work a straight eight hours and leave work early.
However, if you are forced to take an hour lunch ( I worked for a business owner that forced us to take one hour lunches just because he was a control freak) then you have a prime opportunity to nap. I know that when my mother was still working, she would go into an empty conference room and take a 45 minute nap. She has sleep apnea and didn’t sleep very well until she got her CPAP machine. Grab a quiet place and do a power snooze. Set your watch or phone alarm and catch some Z’s!
So tell me in the comments: do you take a nap in the afternoon? Does it help you and if it does, how so?
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