The power nap: boost energy with a short nap

True to its name, the power nap is supposed to re-energise you – in less than 30 minutes! Scientists recommend a duration of 10 to 30 minutes. The ideal time to close your eyes during your lunch break or take a restful nap in your office chair.

In fact, in Germany, more and more companies are introducing quiet rooms to allow their employees to take a power nap. This ‘art of strategic sleep’ has long been a tradition in many Asian countries. In Japan, you see a lot of people taking naps even in public.

If just 10 minutes provides relaxation, then after 60 minutes, you should feel like a new person, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Only 10 to 30 minutes are recommended for a power nap because of the sleep cycle and the different sleep stages.

A complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes. After 10 to 30 minutes, we are still in the light-sleep stage. It’s easier for us to wake within this time. But it is still long enough for our body and mind to recover and gather new energy for the rest of the day.

If we wake up after more than 30 minutes, we are pulled out of the deep-sleep stage or the dream stage. By this time, the body has already begun to regenerate and process. When we wake up at this stage, we often feel confused, exhausted and irritable.

A power nap has many positive effects on our mental well-being. We feel refreshed and can tackle the afternoon’s tasks with renewed vigour. Even in the long term, short midday naps have a positive impact on our health.

Most people feel more energised after a short nap lasting between 10 and 30 minutes – unlike a longer midday nap, which is often followed by even greater fatigue. In addition, several studies have shown that a power nap boosts motivation and improves actual performance.

Concentration and a good memory are essential at school and at work, and also for safety on the road or at home! If you want to boost your concentration capacity and be more focused in everyday life, you should try taking regular power naps.

Even during the light-sleep stage, the body releases more of the happiness hormone serotonin, while stress hormones such as adrenaline decrease. These hormones have a major impact on your well-being and can even affect your mental health.

If you often suffer from stress, mental pressure or feelings of dissatisfaction in the afternoon, short afternoon naps can even protect you from burnout and depressive moods in the long term.

When you fall asleep, your blood pressure also drops. This is particularly relevant for people encountering high stress levels, strenuous physical activity or those with chronically high blood pressure. By taking a break at midday, your circulation returns to normal and you get to calm down and relax. In the long term, power naps can even protect against cardiovascular disease – provided they are kept to a short duration of under 30 minutes!

Experts recommend taking a power nap right after lunch. As you sleep, your body boosts all your metabolic processes, causing your carbohydrate stores to drain faster and your blood sugar levels to drop again. The old German expression, ‘After eating, you shall rest or take a thousand steps!’, has never been more true.

The benefits of power naps are clear to see. Nevertheless, many people find it difficult to sleep in the middle of the day. This can be due to finding it hard to fall asleep, or because of high sleep pressure; there is often a great temptation to simply continue to sleep after 30 minutes. Here are our three tips to help you optimise your power nap.

You can take a power nap anywhere – whether at your desk, on the sofa, in the car or in bed. In the beginning, however, many find it difficult to simply put their heads back and doze off. Neck cushions are ideal for making you feel more comfortable and for preventing tension, meaning you can take your nap just sitting down.

If you still find it difficult to fall asleep, lie down in your bed or on the sofa to start with. Keep the environment dark and quiet, but don’t forget to set an alarm clock. Once you get used to your midday nap, you will soon find it easier to fall asleep in other places.

To get the most out of your midday nap, the duration and timing of your power nap are crucial. Experts recommend taking your nap after lunch between noon and 2 pm. The exact timing also depends on your sleep type and sleep rhythm.

If you get up early, you can start your power nap between 11 am and noon. Late risers are best off taking their nap between 2 pm and 3 pm. To make sure that you fall asleep in the evening without any problems, you should ensure that there is a sufficiently long period of time between naps and nighttime sleep. Otherwise, sleep pressure might not be strong enough in the evening.

The biggest problem with power napping is usually falling asleep. Because of the short rest period of no more than 30 minutes, many people feel under pressure. They have difficulty relaxing and are particularly aware of their surroundings.

However, you can train yourself to fall asleep quickly: progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, yoga and breathing exercises are popular means of resting without trying.

If you find it difficult to wake up after a power nap, you should address the issue. It has been proven that getting up quickly increases productivity. A daylight lamp and a cheerful wake-up tune can make it easier to wake up. To make sure you don’t go back to sleep, you can position your alarm clock so that you have to get up to turn it off.

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