1. What is the biggest misconception of napping?
1.1. When you powernap, people say things such as: “you’re lazy, you’re unambitious, you have low standards.”
1.2. Some people think that napping is for lazy people, toddlers, or the elderly.
1.3. People of all age groups benefit from power napping.
2. Why should I power nap?
2.1. It restores alertness, enhances performance, and reduce mistakes and accidents.
2.2. It’s also an “easy” way to get some relaxation and rejuvenation.
2.3. Power naps are good for restoring your energy after being awake a good amount of the day
2.4. You’re lazier when you take a break to anything else but nap or physical activity.
2.5. Try waking up early and power napping shortly after lunch to rejuvenate
2.6. Power napping is a skill and takes practice to do properly.
3. What are the pitfalls of power napping?
3.1. You may wake up disoriented and groggy. That happens more frequently when you don’t stick to less than 30 minutes.
3.2. A “failed” nap may leave you in that state for about as long as you napped for.
3.2.1. It can be detrimental to people who must perform right after waking up.
3.3. The later you power nap, the more “dangerous” it becomes to disrupt your ability to fall asleep at night.
3.3.1. You may also sleep less and have lower quality sleep.
3.4. Try to power nap before 3 pm
4. Where should I power nap?
4.1. With good practice, you can start to power nap pretty much anywhere.
4.2. Try somewhere comfortable, but not too comfortable. You don’t want to have a hard time waking up!
4.3. Practice where there will be very minimal distractions. No distraction is better.
4.4. If your office doesn’t have space for it or frowns upon power napping at work, bring awareness to the higher ups on the benefits of power napping
4.5. At offices with no space to power nap, try sleeping leaning on your desk or leaning against your chair.
5. When should I power nap?
5.1. For most people, before 3pm.
5.2. It’s better to get a good night’s sleep over taking a nap in the morning.
5.3. Try napping one hour after lunch.
5.3.1. Focus on administrative tasks for one hour that don’t require you to think much, and then power nap
5.4. Experiment to see what works for you.
5.5. Don’t give up on the first try.
5.6. Practice consistently for 1–2 weeks to see if the time can really work for you.
6. What does a power nap typically look like?
6.1. Don’t power nap if you’re not tired enough.
6.1.1. If you're not tired enough but need a break, take a 15 to 20-minute walk.
6.2. Put an alarm.
6.2.1. Try setting it for 25 minutes. The alarm frees you from thinking about waking up on time.
6.3. Don’t nap for more than 30 minutes.
6.3.1. It makes it hard to wake up
6.4. Cut off the distractions.
6.4.1. Try calming music or earplugs. If you’re good at meditating, you can probably do without earplugs or music.
6.5. Be comfortable but not too much.
6.5.1. Napping in a comfortable bed makes it hard to get out. Try the couch
6.6. A “successful” nap is not always about sleeping.
6.6.1. You still gain energy back from relaxing.
6.7. It takes some time to recover from the nap.
6.7.1. Plan for 15–20 minutes to be back to full energy. A successful power nap almost entirely removes this grace period.
6.8. Don’t nap when it’s close to bedtime.
6.8.1. Close to bedtime means less than 3–4 hours. You will have a hard time sleeping at night if you do that.
7. How can I practice?
7.1. Don’t judge a “failed” nap. There are still benefits even if you don’t always fall asleep.
7.2. Acknowledge that it does take time to fully recover as well.
7.3. Do it consistently. So much so that it becomes a habit.
7.3.1. Your body will start to feel tired at the same time every day, making it easier every day to power nap.
7.4. Stick to the same environment every time, your brain will get used it and associate it with power napping
7.5. If you’re a leader in your company, lead by example.
7.5.1. A lot of people are shy and are afraid of looking like a slacker.
7.5.2. Show them it’s okay to power nap. Encourage them to do it. Do it yourself.
7.6. If you work from public places like coffee shops or coworking spaces, just do it.
7.6.1. Don't be afraid of judgment.
7.6.2. Care more about your productivity than for what people thinks.
8. The coffee nap
8.1. Quickly drink a shot of espresso coffee right before your power nap.
8.2. The caffeine takes about 20 minutes to kick in, so right at the same time as you finish your power nap.
8.3. Don’t try coffee naps until you can do power naps successfully because:
8.3.1. Not everyone can quickly drink a hot coffee
8.3.2. It’s harder to fall asleep
8.3.3. It’s quite powerful when you do it right. You have to be ready to go to bed much later. It makes it much harder for you to fall asleep.