Powernap - The simple art of efficient nap!

The Midday Low and Its Consequences

Who does not know it: It is the middle of the day and your eyes close, you do not get out of the yawn and above all can not concentrate on anything. This midday low is related to your circadian chronobiorhythm. In German, this means that your mental and physical activity level fluctuates throughout the day and, above all, the mental at lunchtime is low.

Be careful when napping 

The result: You have concentration problems, you feel “slower” and just feel tired. Many here follow their instincts and hit their ears, but beware! The half hour, which should only last the nap, quickly turns into several hours. You sleep out the day when you wanted to achieve so much and also have problems falling asleep later in the evening.

Understanding sleep phases 

But what can be done about it? Setting an alarm clock is obvious, but this can be a serious mistake. This is related to our sleep phases, which you have probably heard of before. In sleep research, our sleep is roughly divided into four phases: the first, second and third sleep phases, the last and fourth is called REM. After that, the cycle repeats until you wake up again.

In the first two stages of sleep you are in a very light sleep, here mainly your brain recovers from the everyday thinking work it does. In the third sleep phase – also called deep sleep phase – your entire body muscles relax and now your entire body recovers from the hardships of the day. Being abruptly awakened from this phase (e.g., by an alarm clock) upsets your whole biorhythm, which is why you occasionally feel more tired after a nap than before.

Mastering effective midday naps

But how can we prevent switching to the third stage of sleep before the alarm clock stops nap and eventually tears you out of the deep sleep phase? Quite simply! Pick up an item that can be held relaxed (tennis ball, deodorant, plastic bottle, etc.) and set your alarm clock to 30 minutes. Now you relax and try to fall asleep normally. The trick here: You position your hand with your object so that the object falls to the ground when your body muscles relax (when switching from the second to the third sleep phase). You wake up and are mentally fit again without having wasted much time. If you do not switch to the third stage of sleep, the alarm clock will stop your nap after half an hour. Even with a simple dozing, your brain can recover significantly and is fresh for the second half of the day.

Do not worry, if it does not feel so effective on the first times, you quickly get used to this method. And now have fun trying!

Zzz...