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Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

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Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#71

Post by crb3 »

twobits wrote: post #35
crb3 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two techniques from my experience: - 'walk back' in your mind to center yourself away from forebrain activity and visual activity (this is a visualization technique) - cover your back with something insulated and/or warm. The less your back is staying tensed against chill air, the more physically relaxed you can be. I have a Thinsulate-filled sleeping bag that I use like a throw for this as it reflects body heat bett…

Could you please expand on the "walk back" thing? Also, any links, books? Thanks.

Like I said, it's a visualization technique, and it works better if you have some experience with pushing your mental energies around. Practice in Wiccan grounding, centering and shielding helps (Google that or start with http://www.witchvox.com and start probing, I guess; I don't know of any instruction materials currently in print or online). This is my experience, so I describe it here in first-person...

When I close my eyes, almost immediately my visual memory lights up with a "day review" which is like a daydream but for being something which I can direct, using pretty much the same visualization mechanism I use for data/code/schematic structures when I'm designing, coding or debugging. I can feel that forebrain activity as a slight heat just behind my forehead. It's great for overview and casual entertainment when I can afford the time, but not when I need a quick nap and it's keeping me conscious.

I will the main weight of my awareness to recede from that frontal visualization viewplane, moving toward the back of my skull, deliberately dissociating from the visual activity, to where things feel like they're quieter and move slower. If, for motorcycling, where a less tightly-focused, more panoramic viewpoint is best for situational awareness, I take a half-step back, for quick napping I take several steps back.

You can forcefully imagine the footsteps if it helps establish the change of center; after awhile, that mental positioning becomes familiar enough to dispense with the imagined physical/aural sound-effects.

Sorry if it sounds all too Crafty or New-Age, but that's how I live.

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#72

Post by staunch »

crb3 wrote: post #29
staunch wrote: post #5

> ...it takes around 20 minutes for the caffeine to get through your gastrointestinal tract and bloodstream anyway. This isn't really true, right? On an empty stomach a strong coffee seems to get me high as a kite in about two minutes. I've been doing this coffee+nap thing for a long time. It definitely works for me. My trick for falling asleep reliably and quickly is listening to an audiobook.

How do you drink your coffee? If you sugar it, you're not dealing with just the caffeine.

I don't but how would sugar beat caffeine into the blood stream?

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#73

Post by bwanab »

300 wrote: post #3

I found this by experience few years ago. It works. At first, I started with naps, and drinking coffee after. Accidentally I had few times coffee before nap, and noticed the difference. But I don't recommend this kind of nap all the time - because after a while it's not that effective. So, after years of napping (I'm an expert - I became so good at napping, that I can fall a sleep in 1-2 minutes, and wake up without…

I don't sleep well at night. I never have. But, after lunch (and after perusing HN for a few minutes), I start feeling that dull sensation like my brain is trying to shut down. If, at that point, I get into a reasonably comfortable position (doesn't have to be lying down, just rest your head on a table or lean back in a chair with head supported), close my eyes and allow my thoughts to wander. In 5 to 15 minutes the world looks like a much better place.

I really think the key is closing your eyes. I've read (no citation available) that the vision system requires a huge amount of brain activity and that by shutting your eyes you can achieve a large sleep like win even if you don't sleep.

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#74

Post by murrayh »

matwood wrote: post #43
ArcticCelt wrote: post #39

I wish I was able to take naps. Do people can really fall asleep on command just like that when they have some spare minutes in their day? Shit, even when I am sleep deprived, I can barely fall asleep in my own bed, sometimes it literally take me hours. When I manage to take a nap it's usually involuntary by falling asleep in front of the TV.

I can't nap, but just laying down for 20 minutes with my eyes closed in a quiet room gives me a huge energy boost.

Isn't that exactly what a nap is?

Does your awareness reduce? It's hard to notice a change in awareness. Sometimes I notice a transition from haziness to attention when a sound draws my attention. My understanding is that the haziness is a form of sleeping and is exactly what a nap is meant to be. If you fall into a deeper sleep you will get some of the side effects others talk about -- grogginess etc. The length and depth of sleep is related, so I thought that's why you need to be careful to only nap for short periods of time.

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#75

Post by steveax »

Afforess wrote: post #62
Swizec wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. If you lay still with your eyes closed and make sure your phone and internet stay quiet, you will fall asleep in 10 minutes or so. That then leaves enough to get 10 minutes or so of sleep and get back up 20 minutes after starting your nap. Much longer than that and you risk not getting up for another few hours. Much less than that and you won't get any rest. And yes, this works perfectly well even without fallin…

Just lay still for 20 minutes and let your mind wander without distractions Just. I've never been able to do that. I'm always thinking, even when I am exhausted. (Usually then, about how exhausted I am.)

My secret: short story podcasts. Engages my brain just enough to help turn off the competing thoughts. There really is something to that bedtime story thing!

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#76

Post by meowface »

Swizec wrote: post #50
ArcticCelt wrote: post #39

I wish I was able to take naps. Do people can really fall asleep on command just like that when they have some spare minutes in their day? Shit, even when I am sleep deprived, I can barely fall asleep in my own bed, sometimes it literally take me hours. When I manage to take a nap it's usually involuntary by falling asleep in front of the TV.

Yes. If you lay still with your eyes closed and make sure your phone and internet stay quiet, you will fall asleep in 10 minutes or so. That then leaves enough to get 10 minutes or so of sleep and get back up 20 minutes after starting your nap. Much longer than that and you risk not getting up for another few hours. Much less than that and you won't get any rest. And yes, this works perfectly well even without fallin…

Sorry, but I can't do any of the things you list (fall asleep within 10 minutes whether I'm trying to fall asleep for a nap or to go to bed at night; let my mind wander and not get distracted; not worry).

I have a lot of anxiety, which I imagine is relatively common among the developer and tech community. Sleep and peacefulness does not come easily to me. I've tried taking naps at various points over the years, but haven't successfully taken one since I was about 12 or so. Sometimes I'll even lie in bed for 30, 40, 50 minutes to just try and take a short nap. Eventually I'll give up and wonder why I wasted all that time.

This will happen to me even if I'm extremely sleep deprived, and feel very physically and mentally exhausted.

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#77

Post by weaponofchoice »

joshschreuder wrote: post #40
ArcticCelt wrote: post #39

I wish I was able to take naps. Do people can really fall asleep on command just like that when they have some spare minutes in their day? Shit, even when I am sleep deprived, I can barely fall asleep in my own bed, sometimes it literally take me hours. When I manage to take a nap it's usually involuntary by falling asleep in front of the TV.

I'm exactly the same, I find it very difficult to nap during the day even when sleep deprived. It takes me a long time to fall asleep.

Used to be similar for me.

Until I discovered deep meditation (http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Meditation-Pathway-Personal-Freed...). Summarized: Repeat a chant, such as 'I am' (or any phrase of your choosing) for about 5 minutes, focusing on what the chant-phrase sounds like in your mind.

With the phrase 'I am', you would try to feel the sounds 'A-Y-A-M' being pronounced in your mind, without ever vocalizing it.

Gets me napping within 5 minutes, wake up charged up for a massively productive session. I hope you'll give it a try sometime.

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#79

Post by themodelplumber »

kirse wrote: post #52
ArcticCelt wrote: post #39

I wish I was able to take naps. Do people can really fall asleep on command just like that when they have some spare minutes in their day? Shit, even when I am sleep deprived, I can barely fall asleep in my own bed, sometimes it literally take me hours. When I manage to take a nap it's usually involuntary by falling asleep in front of the TV.

It just takes practice. For a nap, it helps to unwind quickly by focusing on deep breathing and allowing your mind to wander. During a nap you're not trying to lose consciousness as if you're "totally asleep" either. It's almost like you're hypnotizing yourself into a deep state of relaxation. A pair of sunglasses or sleep mask can also help to reduce any daytime light to make it easier. Practice it for a year, you'l…

I agree, it takes practice. I can't let my mind wander though. If I want to take a nap in the middle of the day I have to consciously visualize something. The visualization that has worked best for me over the last year has been sitting in my childhood home, assembling the tail section of a scale model Su-24. The end product looks a lot like this one: http://paperwings.orgfree.com/su24/index.htm (except I never finish it, just doze off)

The sleep is worth the practice :)

Re: Coffee naps are better than coffee or naps alone

#80

Post by jaredmcateer »

ArcticCelt wrote: post #39

I wish I was able to take naps. Do people can really fall asleep on command just like that when they have some spare minutes in their day? Shit, even when I am sleep deprived, I can barely fall asleep in my own bed, sometimes it literally take me hours. When I manage to take a nap it's usually involuntary by falling asleep in front of the TV.

I used to do it on my lunches in my car. Load up an mp3 I made from rainymood.com and some oscillating brown noise on simplynoise.com, put on a sleeping mask and a 45 minute alarm it was great. First few times I didn't sleep much but I did essentially meditate, later on I was sleeping within 10-15 mins.
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