#ThinkfullyHabit: Catch 40 winks
People who take naps are twice as likely to solve complex problems than non-nappers*!
10 to 20 minutes is the perfect amount of time to nap to measurably boost your energy and alertness. NASA found that pilots who napped for 26 minutes improved their task performance by 34% and alertness by 54%, compared to pilots who didn't nap**. Anything longer can leave people feeling groggy through ‘sleep inertia’.
“If I can take a nap, even 15 or 20 minutes in the middle of the day, it is really invigorating to me.”
WHY?
Staying awake all day may not be how we are pre-programmed. Historical evidence shows that humans used to sleep in two distinct chunks; a first sleep of four hours which began after dusk, followed by a waking period of one or two hours and then a second four-hour sleep***.
Author Daniel Pink takes this idea one step further with what he calls the 'nappuccino'*. The key to a perfect nappuccino? Down a cup of coffee 25 minutes before pausing for a nap (to allow the caffeine to hit your bloodstream) then set an alarm to nap for 20 minutes. When you wake up, not only should you be refreshed from the nap but the caffeine should also begin to kick in – a double whammy!