To nap or not to nap? That is the question. There seem to be arguments on both sides of the question of whether napping is beneficial. The simple answer is that naps can be very effective for increasing energy levels when one has a proper understanding of how the sleep system works. Failure to understand the inner sleep system and sleeping to long during the day can actually result in sleep that actually robs you of energy.
Contrary to popular belief, our bodies are actually very busy when we are sleeping. In fact, our inner sleep system involves a complex process of sequential sleep stages. There are a total of five sleep stages. The first two stages, Stages 1 and 2, are considered light sleeping. During Stages 1 and 2 we can be easily awakened and we do not enter a deep enough sleep cause a disturbance to our inner sleep clock. Generally we are in Stage 1 and 2 sleep during the first 45 minutes of sleep. If we sleep longer than 45 minuteswe will enter the later stages of sleep which involve deep sleep.
Deep sleep, Stages 3, 4, and 5, involves physiological changes in body temperature, heart rate and respiration. It is during deep sleep that our bodies work to repair themselves and fight disease. This is why people tend to sleep more when they are sick and why lack of quality sleep can lower the immune system. You can see how taking naps which are more than 45 minutes and involve deep sleep could actually knock your inner sleep system off balance leaving you tired and without energy. Also, because of the complex processes going on during deep sleep it can be detrimental to awaken from deep sleep prematurely. Therefore to achieve the maximum benefit from a nap it needs to be less than 45 minutes. In fact, the optimal napping length seems to be ten to twenty minutes. A ten to twenty minute power nap can actually leave youfeeling more refreshed and energized than if you had slept much longer.
A power nap can give you just that lift you need to be more productive. Thisknowledge alone can improve your energy levels and lessen your need for sleep. The Powerful Sleep course goes into more detail about how to maximize your nap time with Power Naps and how to know exactly what is the best time of day to nap and what to do after your nap to speed up your body temperature rise. When it comes to sleep – think quality and quantity.
By Craig Desorcy
