Nap Your Way to Success

Thomas Edison did it all the time. So did Winston Churchill. And just about every one of us had childhood training to be a star in the field. What field is that? Why, napping, of course. Yet despite these famous examples and early practice, most of us would never dream of napping on a regular basis - or admitting it if we did. Feeling drowsy an hour or so after lunch? That’s why Web 2.0 invented wireless in coffee shops!

As a confirmed napper myself, I’m here to tell you that you’re missing out. The right afternoon nap, 8 hours or so after you get up in the morning, can leave you refreshed and energized for the rest of the day. Call it a “power nap” if you’re feeling trendy, or a “catnap” if you’re more traditional. The idea is the same in either case: to derive the maximum benefit from the minimum sleep.

The key is to recognize that sleep isn’t a simple on-0ff switch, but a set of cycles. A typical sleep cycle includes five to ten minutes of falling asleep, then another ten minutes or so of light, restful sleep. Then comes an hour or more of deep and dreamless “slow-wave sleep” followed by a quick period of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, when the most vivid dreams occur. All told, a single sleep cycle takes most people 90 to 120 minutes.

Read more when you wake up...