Body
Mental Health
Physical Health
Incorporating Napping Into Your WFH Schedule
May 17th, 2021 at 4:31 am
Have you ever experienced shavasana during a yoga practice? If yes, then you’d know how relaxing shavasana can be while simultaneously providing you with more energy, and clarity, after. If no, then here’s another method to feel the same: napping!
Why You Should Nap More
When thinking of ways to boost your productivity while working from home (WFH), napping is most certainly not the first idea to come to mind. In fact, most people view napping as an activity strictly reserved for children and / or seniors. To some, napping is even considered a waste of time – an interference to minutes spent productively.
Yet, science has proven again and again how napping, regardless of age, is beneficial:
- Napping actually reduces sleepiness (shocking, we know)
- Napping can aid in memory formation
- Napping can improve learning abilities
- Napping can help regulate emotions (ideal for you if you need an emotional rest)
What Type Of Nap You Should Take
Considering the aforementioned benefits, it makes total sense to incorporate napping into your WFH schedule. However, napping will also be of benefit to you in these scenarios:
- Prophylactic Nap: Knowing sleep loss is about to occur is why a prophylactic nap is taken; it’s to prepare the body in advance as to avoid sleepiness and to stay alert (think night shift workers).
- Recovery Nap: All-nighters or interrupted sleep can lead to feeling sleep deprived the following day, so it’s a no-brainer to take a recovery nap to compensate for lack of sleep.
- Essential Nap: When your immune system is fighting any disease it requires more energy which in turn, requires more napping. Thus, napping while unwell is literally essential as to recover.
- Appetitive Nap: This type of nap is taken purely for the enjoyment of napping – if you’re an Aries, Cancer, Pisces, Sagittarius, or Taurus then this is probably you.
What To Keep In Mind
As to really reap the benefits of a nap, timing is everything. For those unaware, while you’re asleep you move through various stages of sleep, depending on the brain waves you’re accessing and its effects on your eye movement. Without getting too science-y, here’s what you need to know:
- A 5 minute nap is too short for notable benefits
- A 30 minute nap, or longer, provides enough time to enter deep sleep
- If you nap for too long, though, you may feel groggy for up to an hour after (known as sleep inertia)
With that in mind, the ideal length for an in-between work nap would be anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Napping within this timeframe is commonly referred to as a ‘power nap’ as it provides recovery benefits without any of the grogginess post nap. As for what time to nap, aim for the halfway point between when you awoke and when you plan to sleep. Reason being that if you nap too late in the afternoon or in the early evening then you may struggle to sleep – which you definitely don’t want!
Wild Ginger wishes you happy napping ahead 🙂
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