Refuel in 20

Problem: Afternoon Sleepiness

Despite the fact that I get the recommended 8 hours of sleep nearly every night, in the mid-afternoon I get extremely drowsy and lose my focus. This sleepiness not only affects my mental health, but also my physical health when I am behind the wheel. Nearly everyone has experienced this grogginess, along with:

• Decreased reaction time
• Short-term memory
• Decreased information processing
• Decreased judgment
• Decreased vision
• Etc.  

Solution: The 20 Minute Power Nap 

Research has shown that our body is programmed to experience the symptoms above 8 hours after waking up. The solution is not, however, to get more hours of sleep at night, but rather to re-fuel your body with a power nap. A power nap is a mid-afternoon rest which can refocus your brain and refresh your body.  


Why?

In my quest for better mental and physical health, I started to research this napping technique and began to try it out. Research shows that a twenty minute rest can actually provide your body with more rest than an extra twenty minutes of sleep can at night. A twenty minute nap does not allow the body to go into a deep sleep which can make it extremely hard to wake up and continue on with your day. It does, however, allow your brain to take a quick rest and reduce the daily stresses your body encounters. Researcher has even concluded that these twenty minutes allow the brain to clear out useless information and build up your long term memory. Over the past few weeks, my results have been amazing. I never thought that I could fall asleep in only 20 minutes, but all I have to do is relax my body and take a few deep breaths. I wake up feeling amazing and ready to conquer the rest of my crazy day. So go ahead and refuel in 20...but don't forget to set your alarm!