Posted on: July 18, 2019

 

It is difficult to be productive while sleepy. However, life forces us out of bed before we are fully rested, the adrenaline and coffee kick in, and we are on the move. Until we aren’t. The mid-afternoon crash hits and productivity suffers.

This was happening to me, so I learned the value of napping! If I do not have time to nap, I take twenty minutes to recharge. Sitting quietly with my eyes closed. Breathing. Sometimes I doze off, so I set an alarm to be safe.

I was skeptical about the idea at first.

I am a light sleeper and have never been a napper, so I was skeptical about the idea at first. While I would prefer to sleep longer at night, that is not always possible, especially with a teenage son who is at his most interactive later at night. I decided to try napping.

According to a study by Flinders University in Australia, “Once someone begins to doze…a mere seven to ten minutes of sleep may be enough to restore the wake-circuit neurons to their former excitability.” In fact, I feel more energized and ready to be productive after shorter naps as compared to days I have the opportunity to sleep for over an hour. Interesting!

I can almost feel my atoms calming down.

I joke it feels like I can feel my atoms calming down. As it turns out, that might actually be the case! As I read on workflexibility.org, our waking neurons re-energize when we stop and sleep or meditate. That is exactly what it feels like they are doing!

How do I fit in a nap during the workday? One of the benefits of entrepreneurship is a flexible schedule and this is great for scheduling in downtime. Some days I am at home on the couch in the sunroom, others days I park in a park near my next client and recline the driver’s seat. It just depends. I can really feel the energy dip on the days I am not able to sleep, so I try to go to bed a little earlier and make sure I am keeping an eye on my schedule to keep it from getting too packed.

According to sleepfoundation.org, as a nation we are increasingly sleep deprived. Naps do not mean we are lazy – they are beneficial. Just don’t sleep too long, or too late in the day!

Sweet dreams!