Power Naps - What Most People Don't Know About Naps
by Kacper M. Postawski
One of the biggest questions I get asked all the time is
"Are naps good for you? Or bad? I've heard both sides of the
story." I'd like to settle this argument once and for all
right here, and reveal to you how you can properly manage
your sleep to create an abundance of energy in your life,
with LESS sleep.
Yes, naps are VERY good for you, IF you understand how the
sleep system works, and you know how to nap PROPERLY.
In my "Powerful Sleep" course I teach people how to properly
understand their sleep system, circadian rhythm, light
exposure, and how it affects their inner sleep system. While
we can't get deep into it in this article, here's what is true:
Most people don't realize that sleep is actually quite a
complex and fascinating inner system. When we're sleeping,
we're not just dead zombies off in an unknown universe. Your
inner sleep system is a mechanism which follows specific
time periods and stages to energize your body.
So how do you nap properly?
You take what are commonly referred to as "Power Naps", or
what I usually refer to as "Stage 2 limited naps."
You see, when you sleep you go through what are called
"sleep stages", there are 5 stages in total. The first two
stages, Stage 1 and 2 are your "Light Sleep". It's during
this stage that we sleep "lightly", we are easily wakable,
and our circadian rhythm isn't altered enough to create a
disturbance in the sleep system.
The Energizing effects of Stage 1 and 2 sleeps are very
beneficial, just 10 minutes of sleeping in these stages can
restore your energy to the point where you feel as if you
slept for 8 hours.
However, why do most people do more HARM than GOOD to
themselves by napping?
It's simple, they don't know about "deep sleep." Deep sleep
comprises of all the other sleep stages. It's during deep
sleep that your body undergoes a MASSIVE physiological
change, your body temperature, heart rate and respiration
drops. Your blood vessels dilate and all the blood that is
usually stored in your main organs during the day is
channeled to your muscles to repair them.
If you enter deep sleep during the day, your circadian
rhythm, and your "inner sleep clock" (see link below for
details) will be altered and out of whack, often resulting
in an unbalanced, weak sleep system and lower energy levels
altogether.
For an average person it takes about 45-90 minutes to enter
"deep sleep", this is why for an effective nap you MUST keep
your nap down to a MAXIMUM of 45 minutes. Even 45 minutes is
sometimes too much. The most energizing naps are usually 10
to 20 minutes long.
If your naps last too long, you will enter deep sleep.
Waking up from a deep sleep phase is more harmful to your
sleep system and your energy levels, than good! You will
often feel lethargic, low on energy, and in that "zombie"
state of mind.
If you use naps properly, you can boost your energy levels
drastically, and lower your sleep time down dramatically.
However, there are still two vital things you must know
about napping in order to make them super effective during
your day so that you're capable of lowering your sleep and
boosting your energy.
1. You must know exactly what the best time during the day
is to take your nap.
2. You must know what to do AFTER your nap to speed up your
body temperature rise
