Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Wonder of Power Nap

This is my furball - Timon @ The Sakai

On normal day, after working the whole morning, naturally my energy level would dip by afternoon, especially after lunch. That is the time when the body need some form of re-charge. What I would do now, is to take a short 15-20 minute power nap, a habit which I cultivated in the U.

When I was younger, whenever I felt tired or sleepy, and if I needed to take a rest, it will always have to be a 2-3 hour sleep. To me, at that time, anything less than that isn’t a rest. However, when I was in the U, where my syllabus, consist of 70% practical and only 30% exam, I didn’t have the luxury of time and sleep. At any one time, I could be rushing on 3-4 assignments, while my mind will be racing with a hundred and one thought, ie. planning to-do tasks, deciphering some of the theories that I read somewhere, composing an essay in my mind that I needed to submit asap, searching for ideas or inspiration for some of my creative papers, etc, etc.

Our body and mind could get so worked up, we just don’t know what to do because the urgency and  time constraint just doesn’t allow us to have the luxury of long and peaceful rest, especially in the day. Many a time, I tried to sleep but there were just too many activities going on in the mind.

There were occasions where I felt so overly exhausted, I would force myself to have a 15 min shut eye (that’s the only time I could afford), and once my alarm goes off, I would jump up and go about doing what I needed to do, and hey, what a surprise! I felt much more alert, especially when I had to do lots of thorough thinking for certain papers. Take a few power naps, if there is a need. There’s no right or wrong.

A power nap is a short sleep taken in the day time (advisably approx 20 mins), intended to quickly refresh and revitalize the subject.

It is generally terminated before the occurrence of deep sleep, so as not to leave the sleeper feeling drowsy.

Whether you're nodding off during the afternoon slump at the office, working a double or a night shift, or fighting drowsiness while driving, a power nap can make you more alert and productive.

8 Benefits of Power Napping
1.       Refreshes the mind and creates relaxation
2.       Increase alertness and productivity
3.       Improve memory and learning
4.       Increase cognitive functioning
5.       Boost your mood & creativity
6.       Gives you the energy to continue till the evening
7.       Get motivated to exercise
8.       Good for your heart

Give it a try, you’ll be surprise, just as I did. Anyway, when you’re totally mentally and physically exhausted, and still have tons to do and rush, what have you got to lose?

Blog name – carrot head and applemint


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