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July 27, 2016 When the midday slump rolls around, you may try to boost your energy and concentration by grabbing a cup of coffee or eating a sugary candy bar. While either of these may speed you up for a little while, you may find that you crash after about an hour. Instead of a temporary solution that makes you even more tired, consider powering down for about 10 to 15 minutes by taking a power nap.
Sustain Your Energy Levels
When you take a power nap, you give your mind and body time to shut down for a few minutes. While you are asleep, your muscles have time to relax, and your heart and lungs are able to return to a normal functioning state. This helps you restore your energy levels enough to get you through the rest of your day.
Increase Your Concentration and Increases Productivity
Power naps can also help increase your concentration, especially if you weren’t able to get enough sleep the night before. Powering down your brain for a short amount of time gives your neurons a chance to reset, helping them fire better afterward.
Because you don’t sleep long enough to enter the REM stage, you do not experience the sleepiness or brain fog you normally would after a longer nap. With a sharpened mind, your productivity and mental clarity will increase after giving your brain just a few minutes of downtime.
Reduce Your Stress Level
Another benefit of a power nap is a reduction in your stress levels. Not only does it allow you to remove yourself temporarily from a stressful situation or irritating person, it gives your mind and emotions a rest, allowing you to reset your response and possibly approach things from a different perspective.
Conclusion
If you decide that you would like to see if a power nap can help you, set aside time on your break to either go to your car or lay your head on your desk. However, make sure you set an alarm so you don’t sleep too long and get in trouble with your boss. Also, you do not want to take a nap any longer than 10 to 15 minutes, since this could make you enter into a deeper sleep cycle, making you groggy and feeling worse than you did before you took your nap.
