Looking at the benefits of different kinds of naps
Preparing for exams, but you just pulled an all-nighter the day before? Feeling seriously sleep deprived and desperately in need of a coffee with three espresso shots to stay alive? It’s time to try power naps.
Naps are proven to help enhance learning abilities, boost performances, reduce stress, and are even more effective than caffeine!
Here are three essential tips to mastering the art of power napping:
1) Cut out the guilt. Recognize that you are not being lazy and that napping helps with memorization and increase alertness.
2) Set your time. Naps provide different benefits depending on how long they are.
3) Avoid all distractions. Find a dark place where you can lie down comfortably, and never consume caffeinated drinks or high sugary foods before sleeping.
Here’s a brief look at the different kinds of naps you can take, as well as how they can diminish your fatigue.
The Mini Nap (5-20 minutes): enhance alertness and concentration. Perfect for between-study marathons.
The Original Nap: (20-40 minutes): increases cognitive memory processing such as long-term memory.
The Lazy Man’s Nap (50-90 minutes): Aids in creativity, relieves stress, and improves perceptual processing.
Need some additional tips to optimize your naps? Look no further!
Listen to white noise: white noise refers to ambient sounds that can make you relax; for example, sounds in nature.
Try napping just after lunch: the human circadian rhythms cause us to feel sleepier in the afternoon, especially between 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Read anything boring (your textbooks, perhaps?) to help fall asleep faster.
Good luck with exams, and may the power of naps be with you!