For those who do not get sufficient sleep at night, a nap can often be the perfect solution. I need a 20-30 minutes nap by 10 a.m. on most week days as I am already up at 4:30 a.m.  After 1.5 hours of doing house chores, I spend another 45 minutes exercising after the girls have gone to school. I am exhausted by 7:30 a.m. on most school-going days.  If I am severely sleep deprived for weeks on end, I need two half-hour naps in a day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon to recharge my batteries.

I realized how important a nap is to me when I once dozed off while driving. I was on the way home after picking up my second daughter from school in the afternoon. I had felt very sleepy before I left home but didn’t have the time to prioritize on a 15-20 minute power nap.  Thankfully my car only veered to the road shoulder and the wheels grazed the curb. I was jolted up by the loud crash on the curb.

Many people sacrifice sleep for other pursuits, but what they don’t always realize is that sleep facilitates learning, memory, creativity, problem-solving and productivity.

Even a 15-20 minute cat nap can do wonders on my mood and ability to concentrate in my work.  With a 15-20 power nap, you get to reset your system and a burst of alertness and increased motor performance.

The length of your nap determines the benefits. A 20-minute snooze—called a stage two nap—is ideal to enhance motor skills and attention, while an hour to 90 minutes of napping brings Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which helps make new connections in the brain and can aid in solving creative problems.

Sleep Fun Facts

~ Sir Winston Churchill managed on just four hours sleep a night during World War Two — but insisted on a two hour nap in the afternoon.

~  Albert Einstein reportedly slept for 10 hours a night, plus daytime naps.

~  Scientists have shown that a 60- to 90-minute siesta can charge up the brain’s batteries as much as eight hours tucked up in bed!

~  In recent years, Google, NASA, Uber, Zappos and Nike all offer some form of napping benefits at the workplace!

The Benefits of Napping

1.  Increases alertness.

2.  Improves learning and working memory.

3.  Prevents burnout and reverses information overload.

4.  Heightens your senses, creativity and boosts your mood.

5.  Improves health.

When you sleep, you release growth hormone, the antidote to cortisol which which boosts your immune system, primes your sexual function, reduces stress and anxiety, and aids in muscle repair and weight loss. Napping gives your brain a chance to rest and your body a chance to heal.

Scientific proof

A study done with Greeks found that those that took a 30 minute nap at least three times a week had 37% less risk of dying from a heart-related condition. Among working men their risk of death was reduced 64%!

If you’re sleep deprived, all you need to do is to steal 20 minutes somewhere in your day. One study showed that even a 6 minute cat nap improves memory function. So you can even sneak one in during lunch time or when your boss is out 😉

Learn to embrace the nap and the napping of others. Napping is not a character defect! Many great men have taken advantage of the benefits of napping. It is a wonderful way to improve your quality of life.