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How to nap

boston.com

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Re: How to nap

#3
First time I'm seeing this, thanks for sharing.

Where it mentions a nap makes stage 2 sleep, I know my ability to nap can depend on how quickly I can fall asleep.

I've found meditating for 5-10 minutes even at my desk offers a similar result to napping, without the nap-hangover/grogginess.

The feeling? Like when we wake up, fresh, clear minded, focused, settled and ready to go.

Re: How to nap

#4
I usually get one nap a week on Sunday afternoons for about 3 hours. I find that I feel more creative and ambitious in the period after this nap than at any other time in the week. While it is feasible to add one more day to my nap schedule, I have yet to do it. I am rather much looking forward to when my schedule will allow for a daily nap.

Re: How to nap

#5
I've adjusted recently to have 1.5 hour naps in the middle of the day (I'm a college student), so then I can go to bed at around 1 AM and wake up at 7:30 AM, and be well-rested and awake the entire day.

It's almost like taking the nap in the middle day gives my brain a "restart" so it's refreshed and prepared to focus the rest of the night.

Re: How to nap

#6
post #3

First time I'm seeing this, thanks for sharing. Where it mentions a nap makes stage 2 sleep, I know my ability to nap can depend on how quickly I can fall asleep. I've found meditating for 5-10 minutes even at my desk offers a similar result to napping, without the nap-hangover/grogginess. The feeling? Like when we wake up, fresh, clear minded, focused, settled and ready to go.

I get the same results out of meditation, but if im going out at night or have to be at an event, i like taking a 30-40 min nap before getting ready, makes me be back to 100% till late.

Re: How to nap

#7
I cannot overstate how much power naps have improved my life. I started doing them regularly about seven years ago and have been recommending them to everyone I can since. Napping makes me happier, more alert, and way more productive.

A shameless plug: I wrote a post about how I learned to nap here: http://unschooled.org/2011/05/how-i-nap

Re: How to nap

#8
Finally! I was wondering how to do this!

On a real note, napping changed my life. And when I had my own business, it really helped productivity to have a nap in the middle of the day. Now I work for the machine, and naps are unfortunately not allowed.

Re: How to nap

#9
I'm glad that this provides scientific justification for that napping danger zone between 45 and 90 minutes. Having taken naps that have ended in that precarious time span, I can attest that it feels like you're worse off than when you started.

Re: How to nap

#10

I cannot overstate how much power naps have improved my life. I started doing them regularly about seven years ago and have been recommending them to everyone I can since. Napping makes me happier, more alert, and way more productive. A shameless plug: I wrote a post about how I learned to nap here: http://unschooled.org/2011/05/how-i-nap

Ditto. For me, the 20 minute investment in a post-lunch nap pays back manyfold in increased productivity (to say nothing of health and general well-being) for the rest of the day.

Finding a place to nap in an office an environment can be tricky, but if you start thinking of your nap as an important work tool and not an embarrassing indulgence, you can usually find a way to make it work. Drop a few bucks on a good pillow, blanket, sleep mask, and/or white-noise headphones -- whatever's important for you -- to keep at your desk. (For me, the sleep mask is critical. YMMV.) Get creative with your sleep position -- couches are great, but I've made it work lying on the floor with my feet up on my office chair (suitably chocked so it won't roll away). The key point is, don't be afraid to ask the work environment to adapt to your nap, rather than vice versa.

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