Power napping – the art of short restful sleep

Here you will find out how effective power naps really are – and what you need to look out for in order to get the most out of your short restful nap.

Yesterday it was still a nap and was frowned upon.

Today there is power napping, and the art of short sleep to relax the mind and body is considered a miracle weapon to increase performance.

But what is really all about power napping?

When is it recommended, how long should it last and what should you pay attention to? In the following post you will find a lot of information on the topic.

Among other things, it concerns the following points:

As you can see, power napping is a big topic with lots of detail. Hope the article helps you answer all of your questions.

Perhaps a well-planned nap will also help you to cope with your working day with more energy in the future.

What exactly is a power nap?

Experts understand power napping as a short sleep phase in which the body relaxes and recharges its batteries.

  • Even if power napping sounds very modern, there is a lot of tradition in short sleep phases for regeneration.
  • Familiar terms nap, nap or siesta – these are often similar to the power-napping.

Unfortunately, with the modern working day, these were more and more forgotten.

Different countries, different sleeping habits

While in Germany it is often considered a professional to sleep little, there are long traditions of nap in other countries.

  • In southern countries in particular, such as Italy or Spain, the lunch break is still a popular tradition today.
  • Shops, offices and practices close at lunchtime for several hours so that employees can take a siesta.

The classic recovery times do not always have something to do with modern power napping – an effective recovery sleep is usually much shorter than an hour-long siesta (more on this below).

  • In Asia there is also an increasing trend towards power naps (here also in small doses distributed throughout the day.
  • In major Japanese cities there are even hotels with sleeping pods where you can rest for a pre-arranged time.

Keyword Inemuri : This word proves how popular nap is in Japan. Translated it means “present but sleeping”.

In the next section you will learn more about the advantages of power napping. Then I will clarify the question of how you can make the most of restful sleep.

What should power napping achieve?

The main idea behind power napping is to relax your body and mind for a short period of time.

If you do it correctly, you will wake up fresh and with new energy – which scientific studies prove time and again.

Power napping also helps against stress

According to the latest research, it is beneficial for health if the body takes a break at lunchtime.

The cardiovascular system is strengthened and diseases are prevented.

Fact : Those who take regular naps reduce the risk of heart disease by 37 percent.

Even as an anti-stress agent, there is nothing better than a short nap.

The advantages of napping at a glance

  1. Memory performance is improved, performance is increased
  2. Well rested people have less appetite for fatty and sweet foods
  3. The risk of heart attack decreases, exhaustion and stress symptoms decrease

In order to get the best possible rest and avoid daytime sleepiness , there is a lot of advice on the correct duration and implementation of a restful sleep:

How long should a power nap last?

The spirits still argue about this question.

Most sleep researchers recommend a 20 to 30 minute sleep phase.

But there are others who suggest shorter times . In some cases, a 10 minute sleep should bring the same advantages as a nap twice or three times as long.

The optimal duration of power naps depends on your goals

As you can see, there is no such thing as the best power nap.

  • Your own body and your personal sleeping habits are important for the correct duration of the Power Nap. Routine also plays a role:
  • It is best to avoid changing the length of the power naps too much – this can disrupt your sleep rhythm at night.

Resting for 20 minutes on a regular basis is better than sleeping briefly once & long again the next day. This often leads to problems sleeping through the night and restless sleep .

  • To wake up refreshed, you should also avoid the body going into a deep sleep phase.
  • Waking up from deep sleep is more difficult than waking up from a light sleep phase.

Tip: In most cases, a short power nap of a maximum of 20 minutes is recommended

This is the most practical in my experience (and easy to incorporate into most lunch breaks).

A little digression about sleep phases

During sleep, the body goes through different phases of sleep . These depend on the length of sleep.

Put simply, we can distinguish between deep sleep and light sleep.

Light sleep: A distinction is made between falling asleep and light sleep . The body relaxes increasingly. Blood pressure and body temperature drop. Breathing and pulse slow down.

Deep sleep: After a certain period of time, which depends on the person and the state of exhaustion, the body falls into the deep sleep phase. This is the phase when the body recovers and regenerates the most. However, it is all the more difficult to wake up from this phase.

Note: A perfect power nap uses light sleep for a quick recovery. You should avoid deep sleep as much as possible in your day-to-day work, as the body is limp and tired when it wakes up from deep sleep.

3 Arten des Power Naps

In addition to the well-known, short power napping, there are also other variants – which are particularly worth a look for students:

The 10-20 minute power nap

If you need new energy for the afternoon, a short nap of 10-20 minutes is recommended

  1. Studies at an Australian university have shown that the desired positive effects can be demonstrated even after sleeping for 10 minutes.
  2. Accordingly, the test subjects felt rested and recovered after a 10-minute power nap. They also showed increased productivity.
  3. A recent American study came to the following conclusion: A nap of 20 minutes can increase a person’s performance by up to 35 percent.

The feeling of having more strength and energy again lasts for up to 2 hours.

60 Minute Power Day

According to sleep research , 60 minutes of sleep is helpful in processing what you have learned and in remembering new things better.

A longer power nap promotes cognitive skills – but it also has a disadvantage:

Those who are awakened from deep sleep usually feel tired and sleepy.

The body shuts down its functions after more than 20 minutes of rest and it often takes us to wake up completely.

This feeling can last up to an hour and is therefore not recommended for a short restful sleep.

90 Minute Power Day

After around 30 minutes – depending on the person – the body usually falls into an initial deep sleep phase.

A power nap of 90 minutes allows the body to enter the restful deep sleep phase and unconsciously process the events of the day.

That relaxes, brings new ideas and we usually feel rested. Such a long rest also helps to prevent a lack of sleep .

The disadvantage is that not all of us have enough time for such an extended nap.

In everyday life, a short power nap is often the best choice. It can be easily installed in the lunch break and replenishes the energy reserves:

The best time for a power nap

Experience has shown that most people’s productivity decreases around noon.

If the usual food intake is added to this, the digestive process also ensures that the body becomes sleepy and tired (read more about this here: Eating before sleep ).

The hour between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. is therefore considered the best time to take a nap.

Regardless of whether you have eaten or not, this time is ideal for a short break and regeneration.

The 5 best power nap tips

  1. Find the most comfortable sleeping position possible
  2. Set an alarm clock that wakes you up on time
  3. Darkness helps to switch off, in an emergency a sleep mask is sufficient
  4. Reduce environmental noise, if necessary with ear plugs
  5. Drink coffee or tea before the power nap. The stimulating effect sets in when you wake up and gives you additional momentum

Additional tips for better naps

You can see that your body quickly gets used to the small break at noon and divides it up as best as possible.

 

Experienced afternoon sleepers almost automatically assume a comfortable sleeping position and usually wake up again without an alarm clock.

The more often you treat yourself to an afternoon nap, the more relaxed you will enjoy it.

Tip: Read more about the best sleep aids here .

The key trick

To control the length of sleep, the key trick is to help. You need to pick up a bunch of keys before going to sleep.

As soon as you fall asleep and your body relaxes, the hand muscles also loosen and the key falls to the floor. The sound it makes will wake you up automatically.

The right Power Nap pillow

You can use a special Power Nap pillow to prevent your neck from kinking when you fall asleep and rudely waking you up or causing a rigid throat.

 

If you struggle with shoulder pain after waking up , then you should think about sleeping in a way that is gentle on the neck and back .

There are special neck pillow or croissant that you can mtinehmen everywhere (eg also to sleep on the plane ).

  • One example is this power napping pillow , which you can easily order from Amazon.
  • But normal neck rolls are also suitable for a quick, relaxing nap in between.

They are compact, convenient and easy to store in the drawer. There are numerous variants in all colors and shapes on the Internet .

Reading tip: The comprehensive expert purchase advice on pillows .

The music pillow

A music pillow can help you disconnect from the environment better and more thoroughly. The article on The best music pillows gives you an overview of recommended models.

Monitor sleep

It is also helpful to learn more about your own sleeping habits. You can monitor your sleep with wristbands and apps .

For snorers, there are also snoring apps that also record noises.

Tip: Read more about snoring here . With many helpful tips & effective means against it.

Comparison between power nap and night sleep

With every nap you should be aware that it cannot replace sleep at night (at least if it only lasts 20 minutes – then the necessary deep sleep phases are missing).

  • Rather, power napping is an aid to increasing the body’s performance during the day.
  • The body has to spend a certain amount of time a day in deep sleep in order to be able to regenerate completely.

It is therefore recommended that you sleep between 7 and 9 hours at night.

Note: Read more about the question – How much sleep do people need?

During the night, the body goes through various important phases in sheep and generally recovers best.

Alternatives to power napping

Many scientists assume that it is not absolutely necessary to actually sleep in order to supply the body with new energy.

Often it is enough to sit down comfortably and close your eyes. The body slows down many functions and draws new strength in the process.

Closing word

As you can see, taking a nap is as beneficial as it is healthy. So try to switch off briefly at lunchtime as often as possible.

Maybe you can convince your boss of the positive properties of power napping. In any case, one thing is 100% certain: a good nap has never hurt anyone.

I hope this article on Power Naps has been helpful to you.

You are also welcome to browse the other sections and find out which measures you can take to improve your sleep:

  1. The bedroom category provides helpful tips on how to best furnish your bedroom .
  2. In the next section you will find more information on common sleep problems and sleep disorders .
  3. We explain current studies (understandable for everyone) in the category of sleep research .
  4. General tips & strategies for a healthy night’s sleep can be found here: Sleep better .

Thanks for reading!

I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.

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