WANT TO SUCCEED? FIRST, TAKE A NAP

DID YOU KNOW THERE’S SOLID SCIENCE BEHIND EFFECTIVE NAPPING? THAT THERE’S A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY TO TAKE A NAP? READ MORE TO FIND OUT HOW A STRATEGIC NAP CAN HELP YOU POWER THROUGH EACH DAY.

Do you love taking a nap? I love taking a nap! Giving into that sleepy feeling, shutting those heavy eyes, sinking into a lovely, restful, delightful state! And then waking up feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to just get up and go! They don’t call it a “power nap” for nothing!

How many species of animals in the world try to get their sleep all at once? Only one – human beings! That’s it. Just us humans. Think about it — every other animal on earth is what they call multiphasic. They get their rest in spurts throughout the day, not all at one go.

All species of animals on this planet take naps — all of them. Except one species that chooses to ignore its needs: human beings.

And guess what — biologically, we humans are also designed to be multiphasic, to nap every day. It’s coded into our physical and cultural DNA! It’s what nature intended and what’s good for us. So today I want to look at the importance of taking that all-important break during the day.

The midday nap is something that human cultures have practiced until just recently. Somewhere along the way we decided we had to live the grind to be successful – that we must work through the day and sleep only once during a 24-hour cycle. I’m here to tell you that a midday reboot is vital. Taking daily naps has been the practice of geniuses throughout history, and many respected studies now prove the value of this practice beyond doubt!

Now you and I may have been brought up in a work culture that frowns at the idea of sleeping in the afternoon. We may even be conditioned to think of this as “slacking off.” At many companies, an afternoon nap can still get a person fired! But there are sound reasons why more forward-thinking companies like Apple, Nike, Google, and Deloitte are helping to incorporate power naps into employee workdays.

The culture of napping is ancient!

Traditional societies have long understood its importance, particularly in parts of the world where it’s hot in the afternoon.

The ancient Romans were known to take a midday nap which they called a “sexta”(for the sixth hour of the day). Most of us have heard its name in Spanish, the “siesta.”It’s called “riposo” in Italy They all refer to that same delicious little postprandial sleep that the cultures of so many countries still cherish — and with good reason, as research is now confirming.

It could be a short 20-minute nap or a longer time span devoted to sleeping in the afternoon. In many countries, the shops close, the streets appear deserted, and the atmosphere becomes still and calm for several hours after lunch. And then everyone reemerges for an energetic evening of work, socializing, and more.

A midday reboot can recharge you for that afternoon conference. It keeps you alert on your evening commute home and continues to energize you through an evening where you can spend meaningful time with the family.

Sleep is not for the weak

Being able to sleep anywhere is a gift. Napoleon Bonaparte (not pictured here) was famous for being able to sleep anywhere, even on his horse (also not pictured here).

The Grind Mind messaging we receive from today’s alarmist media suggests, “Don’t sleep during the day; it’s bad for you. It reflects poorly on your work ethic. You’ll miss opportunities to get ahead.”

This cultural conditioning we’ve been subjected to for so long directly conflicts with scientific research telling us something quite different — something that makes a whole lot more sense.

If you stick to the sleep-just-once-every-24-hours formula, you’re looking at 16 straight hours of being awake without rest at the very least. So is it any wonder that you experience that dreaded post-lunch slump? By mid-afternoon you’re beginning to feel droopy and groggy. By the time you navigate traffic and get home, you barely have the energy to eat dinner. A short afternoon nap is the ideal way to reset your energy. Energy is the antidote!

Your bodily processes such as digestion, blood pressure maintenance, and body temperature are all interconnected with the body’s circadian rhythms and, therefore, with sleep. What does an afternoon nap do? In a sense, it helps reset that body clock. It helps you get over the grogginess that tends to creep in around mid-afternoon.

Depending on how long you nap, the brief rest will have different impacts on you, but research shows that even taking a nap as short as 6 minutes can help. You read that right — just a six-minute nap can activate a midday reboot!

The energy secret the famous and the successful swear by

Apart from the fact that they are all famous, what do Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Alva Edison, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Salvador Dali, and John F. Kennedy have in common?

You guessed it — they would all nap during the day. Napoleon was famous for being able to sleep anywhere, even on his horse!

Sir Winston Churchill, famous napper.

Some of them actually felt ashamed of their afternoon naps. Edison thought that sleep was a waste of time and would only sleep for just a few hours each night. But he would secretly take small catnaps during the day at home, in his lab, or at the library. Da Vinci didn’t believe in sleeping much at night and was also known to take short 15-minute naps during the day.

Many of these great thinkers and achievers reported to experiencing what is called a hypnagogic nap. This is an altered state of consciousness wherein the mind experiences some vivid imagery and sensations. Dali, Einstein, and Edison all reported that new ideas and images would flood their brain during that time of semi-sleep.

The evidence is not just anecdotal. Researchers have found that napping helps with learning and retaining learned material. Test scores of nappers are better than those of non-nappers. One study found that those who took short daytime naps performed better on a battery of cognitive assessment tests. And if you’re worried that a daytime nap will interfere with nighttime sleep, rest easy — studies have demonstrated that short power naps don’t, in fact, interfere with proper nighttime sleep.

So many reasons to nap

If we could just overcome the hesitation we may feel about napping, the cultural conditioning that has stigmatized taking care of ourselves, we could reap rich dividends. I did!

When I began to notice that I would drag a bit in the afternoon, I chose that time for some experimental napping. With some trial and error, I found that a 20-minute nap worked for me. Less wasn’t enough, and if I slept longer, sleep inertia would set in, and I would feel dull and disconnected. Longer naps also interfered with sleep at night, so 20 minutes was the magic number for me.

I found that those short, 20-minute naps restored my alertness. Afterwards, I was able to focus again and regain my vigor. I could handle meetings, presentations, and conferences without any dragging or fatigue.

A nap also sharpens my senses. I thought it was my imagination, but it’s actually true: Taste, touch, hearing — a nap heightens and sharpens all the senses.

I’ve also found I get some of my best ideas after an afternoon nap. Research confirms this. Sleep does actually boost creativity because of the way the mind becomes relaxed and forms new connections.

I’m also more productive and less bored after a nap. I am able to manage my time better and do more within a shorter period. On my commute home, I find that my reaction times are quicker and I am much less likely to feel road rage.

Naps also help reduce the risk of heart disease, this country’s leading cause of premature death. Here’s a statistic to chew on: Those who take at least three afternoon naps a week are 37% less likely to die of heart disease than those who don’t nap!

Research strongly suggests that napping boosts the immune system as well.

My own personal experience has also confirmed for me what the research says about the impacts of naps on learning and memory. In college, if I took a nap after studying hard, it helped me retain and recall my material better.

Naps don’t just help me mentally — I also find that my physical stamina and sports performance improved because of my napping habit. So, don’t shy away from taking that nap. It’s the best medicine, yet there’s no co-pay or deductible for a nap. It doesn’t cost a dime.

Don’t just stand there — lie down!

Give yourself some shut-eye to regenerate, relax, reenergize, and ready yourself for the rest of the day.

So here’s how you can make a real difference to your life just by napping:

First, forget the guilt. If you’re anything like how I used to be, you probably associate napping during the day with some amount of stigma. You probably think of it as a sign of laziness or shirking. Get over that. Recognize and embrace that the dreaded post-lunch slump is a natural signal from your body, and make the decision to heed that signal and use that afternoon nap to boost your energy level, productivity, creativity, and your long-term health.

Second, understand how naps work. Like I said, 20 minutes works really well for me, but you may need to adjust this to what works for you.

A complete sleep cycle takes 90 minutes. The first 20 minutes are light REM sleep (REM stands for rapid eye movement), after which you slip into deeper stages of sleep. In general, a nap that’s longer than 30 minutes generates sleep inertia, and you may awaken still feeling sluggish and groggy because you’ve woken up while in a deeper stage of sleep.

If you can spare the time for a full 90-minute nap, however, it’s almost like a mini-night’s sleep. It will give you some of the benefits of a night’s worth of sleep – helping consolidate memory and releasing the growth hormone for repair of bones and muscle. If you had a big workout in the morning or have a late night ahead of you, that may be the nap you need! So decide which type and duration of nap works for you.

Third, create favorable conditions for your nap. Dim the lights, create a quiet space and make sure the ambient temperature is cool and comfortable. Use a light blanket if possible. If you’ve seen my series of YouTube episodes on how sleeping can make you more successful, you’ll know that even our skin has light sensors, so using a blanket will help you sleep better. Make time for your nap and prioritize it. Once you get into the habit, you will find that you’re able to fall asleep quicker and awaken at the right time without the need for any kind of alarm.

Fourth and finally, use caffeine judiciously. If you’re a confirmed coffee lover, this formula may be just the thing for you: Have your coffee right before your nap. It sounds counterintuitive, but since it takes time for the body to respond to caffeine, by the time the caffeine kicks in, you’re ready to get up anyway!

It’s by no means necessary to combine caffeine with your nap, but I have seen this work well for lots of people. Just keep in mind that coffee has a half-life of six hours, meaning if you drink coffee in the afternoon, prepare for an additional rush right around bedtime!

The caffeine from green tea may be a wiser choice, because the energy is more mellow, and the effects won’t linger into the evening hours. That’s why green tea is an ingredient in the Positive Input shake mix.

Don’t take time out — add time in

Naps don’t take time out of your day — they literally add time to your life. Nap time is self time. So do yourself the favor of slowing down around midday and giving yourself a break. Give yourself some shut-eye to regenerate, relax, reenergize, and ready yourself for the rest of the day.

If you’re still holding onto negative feelings about napping, replace them with positive ones. Think it means you’re slacking? It actually means your recharging yourself for better work. Think you’re too busy to nap? If you’re that busy, you need to nap.  

“When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.”

Do what you need to, to achieve your own peak performance and to embrace the success you know you were born for! Take that nap. Or, better yet, give yourself that nap. Be your Maximal Self each day!