Power Napping | stedtnitz. design your life
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” – Warren Zevon
I’ve heard and read this quote far too often. Teenagers proudly post it underneath party photos on social media, and many students and working adults live by it. A few weeks ago, one of my clients told me that she feels so tired in the afternoons at her office, that she can barely concentrate. Taking a short nap is out of the question; she’s too afraid that her coworkers will think that she’s lazy and unmotivated. These beliefs are reinforced by the many negative misconceptions surrounding sleep: people who sleep a lot are lazy, weak, lose time, miss out on life and don’t accomplish enough.
Sleep More, Get More
In fact, the opposite is true: countless scientific studies have confirmed that sleep greatly enhances performance. It is responsible for optimal cognitive function, wellbeing and sustained health.
The Magic of Power Napping
Especially short sleep breaks throughout your day (known as “power naps”), enhance productivity and performance. In fact, they have multiple positive impacts on work and life. Making it even more astounding that they’re not encouraged more frequently by employers.
The times when little sleep and working without any breaks are celebrated should be long gone. The importance of power naps and relaxation have been on the radar of large corporations like Google for years. As they should! Rest and recovery should be one of our top priorities; especially in today’s day and age where stress levels are at an all time high. At stedtnitz. design your life, power naps followed by trampoline jumping are actively encouraged by the management. As a result, everyone in the team is in a better mood and more efficient and well-balanced.
Our western work ethic is still strongly influenced by the view that sleeping is lazy. As a result, many employees lack the courage to nap. A short power nap right after lunch or in the afternoon shouldn’t be viewed as laziness, but as a regenerating performance booster. Here are a few short and sweet facts you can share with your co-workers and employers who don’t believe in the power of power naps:
Power naps
- reduce stress
- increase performance
- promote concentration
- support the cardiovascular system
Some additional guidance for power naps at the workplace
- Keep them at 20 minutes or less
- Power napping takes practice: your body and mind need some time to get used to the process of rapidly falling into a state of sleep or deep relaxation
- Guided relaxations, visualizations or yoga exercises can help as you switch off
- Keep your clothes as loose as possible
- Create a wake-up ritual. This can consist of stretching, knee-bends, trampoline jumping, climbing a few steps or anything else that’ll reactivate your body
- Take a few deep breaths (ideally in the fresh air), before you dive back into your work feeling refreshed and ready to go
Also, as a little side note: your cup of coffee will taste way better when you already feel awake and alert before you take that first sip!
Happy napping,
Milena
Photo Credit: Jordan Whitt on Unsplash