The amount of energy we have in the day depends to a large extent on how much and how we sleep. Unfortunately, we don’t get enough sleep every night and we can’t afford to sleep on the job. To do?
The most common alternative is to take caffeinated products. But it is proven that caffeine does not improve our cognitive abilities. So if possible, it’s best to take a nap.
A few years ago, the famous “siesta” was synonymous with laziness. However, today companies like Google and Apple provide time and spaces for their employees to sleep at work. This is thanks to different studies that have found many benefits for mental and physical health.
A nap선잠, noickerchen, drijemezeither podr_mati; language does not matter. Sleeping on the job is an alternative taken up by people around the world. This in order to disconnect and resume their activities with greater concentration.
But beware. Depending on the amount of time the nap lasts, we will or will not recover our alertness, memory and concentration.
That’s why the assistant professor of psychology at the University of California and co-author of the book Take a Nap! Change Your Life, Sara Mednick, gives some recommendations to know how long it is good to “nap”.
How long to sleep at work.
The first thing we need to know is the sleep phases.
According to specialists, when we sleep we go through 4 or 5 sleep cycles that are made up of 5 phases each (each cycle can last from 90 to 120 minutes).
The first two phases are known as light sleep. The third and fourth as deep sleep. And the fifth is called REM (Rapid eye movement).
Each phase takes a certain amount of time to complete. The longer we sleep, the brain inhibits more and more external stimuli and in turn our creativity increases; cognitive and motor functions; memory; among many others.
Also read: How much sleep do you need to be productive?
It is clear that the more we sleep the more we recover. The point is that depending on the phase of sleep we are in when we wake up, we may feel that we do not want to get up.
Recommended time.
Mednick recommends naps of 10 to 20 minutes to recover a little and keep working. This is because at that time we are still in our light sleep and when waking up, we do not feel drowsy.
In a study conducted by Leon Lack, a behavioral insomnia specialist and a leader in sleep research for more than 30 years, 24 participants underwent cognitive tests after napping from 30 seconds to 30 minutes.
Those who had slept 10 minutes showed better performance. Which also lasted for approximately 2 and a half hours.
Concurring even more with Dr. Melnick, the participants who slept the longest woke up groggy. But after a short time, they showed the same performance as those who had slept for 10 minutes; but his improvement lasted longer.
If we want to recover even more, Mednick recommends 60-minute naps. That will facilitate the memory of places, events and faces. But since at that time we are already entering our deep sleep, the feeling when we get up will be a little “heavier” than when we wake up from a 10-minute nap.
If we have the time and want to be totally ready for everything that is to come, Mednick recommends 90-minute naps (a complete cycle) that will allow us to restore our basic functions.
We already know how long it is advisable to take a nap, but at what time of the day? Mednick suggests doing it between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Recommended time.
Jennifer Ackerman, author of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body, agrees with Mednick, but goes a bit further; she differentiating people into 2 classes according to their chronotype: lark or owl
Ackerman says that many mammals tend to sleep for short periods during the day and that humans are no exception.
It says that our bodies are programmed to sleep soundly 2 times a day. So if you usually sleep between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm (larks), the time your body is most prepared for a nap is between 1:00 pm and 1:30 pm.
On the contrary, if they usually go to bed between 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. (owls), the best time for a nap is between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
The nap can give us what we need to continue with our activities in the best way. So now you know what time and for how long you should take a nap.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
