3 Naps to Try!
11 February 2013
Read by 1548 persons
Regularly taking naps, especially after lunch, helps lower your heart rate and blood pressure (cardiovascular effects of stress), and reduces your cortisol levels. It also helps with muscle recovery, restructuring brain activity, and improving alertness and memory.
Leonardo da Vinci, Edison, Dali, Einstein... All these great men had one thing in common: they took a short nap after lunch. And it worked out pretty well for them! So what are you waiting for to rehabilitate the nap at work? Without exaggerating… Of course!
But which nap? Depending on the time you have available, 3 types of naps are available to you.
1. The "flash" nap
Duration: a few seconds to 2 minutes maximum.
How?
• As soon as the first yawns appear, place your forehead on the back of your hands resting on your desk.
• In this position, relax your shoulders, neck, jaws and back.
• Focus on your breathing: inhale by inflating your belly, then your chest, which will raise your shoulders, and exhale by evacuating all the air.
• Repeat several times trying to clear your mind, focusing only on your breathing.
Note: if, at first, you can't fall asleep, it's not serious. Just keep breathing deeply, you will relax. It is through habit and training that you will succeed in these flash naps.
2. The "relax" nap
Duration: 10 to 30 minutes, particularly effective for regaining alertness.
How?
• Sit comfortably in your armchair, close your eyes.
• Start by becoming aware of your body: visualize your feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, fingers, neck, head.
• Let your muscles relax and place the back of your hands on your knees, letting your head fall forward.
• Let yourself be overcome by sleep: even if it is superficial, it is effective!
Note: if necessary, set an alarm!
3. The "royal" nap
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, the most effective because it allows you to sleep a complete sleep cycle.
How?
• Isolate yourself in your office or another quiet room, if you are in an open space, or even your car.
• Start it in the early afternoon, around 1:30 pm-2:00 pm, ideally.
• Lie down in comfortable clothes, in the semi-darkness and quiet.
• Practice deep abdominal breathing: inhale by inflating your belly, exhale by bringing your belly in.
• Let yourself go and if you are sleep deprived, you will fall asleep very quickly. Otherwise, don't try to "force" it because you might get annoyed.
• Upon waking, take the time to open your eyes calmly and stretch before getting up.
It is true that it is more practical to take this nap when you are not at the office, but it can be very interesting for you, if you are often on business trips in particular.
Note: be careful not to fall back asleep after emerging because if this drowsiness is easy and seems beneficial, it is actually fatal to the quality of the afternoon that will follow!
So, what do you think? Ready to Take a Nap*?
*Ready to nap?
Gwendaline Guillaume.
Etre-bien-au-travail.fr
Posted online February 11, 2013.
Leonardo da Vinci, Edison, Dali, Einstein... All these great men had one thing in common: they took a short nap after lunch. And it worked out pretty well for them! So what are you waiting for to rehabilitate the nap at work? Without exaggerating… Of course!
But which nap? Depending on the time you have available, 3 types of naps are available to you.
1. The "flash" nap
Duration: a few seconds to 2 minutes maximum.
How?
• As soon as the first yawns appear, place your forehead on the back of your hands resting on your desk.
• In this position, relax your shoulders, neck, jaws and back.
• Focus on your breathing: inhale by inflating your belly, then your chest, which will raise your shoulders, and exhale by evacuating all the air.
• Repeat several times trying to clear your mind, focusing only on your breathing.
Note: if, at first, you can't fall asleep, it's not serious. Just keep breathing deeply, you will relax. It is through habit and training that you will succeed in these flash naps.
2. The "relax" nap
Duration: 10 to 30 minutes, particularly effective for regaining alertness.
How?
• Sit comfortably in your armchair, close your eyes.
• Start by becoming aware of your body: visualize your feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, fingers, neck, head.
• Let your muscles relax and place the back of your hands on your knees, letting your head fall forward.
• Let yourself be overcome by sleep: even if it is superficial, it is effective!
Note: if necessary, set an alarm!
3. The "royal" nap
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, the most effective because it allows you to sleep a complete sleep cycle.
How?
• Isolate yourself in your office or another quiet room, if you are in an open space, or even your car.
• Start it in the early afternoon, around 1:30 pm-2:00 pm, ideally.
• Lie down in comfortable clothes, in the semi-darkness and quiet.
• Practice deep abdominal breathing: inhale by inflating your belly, exhale by bringing your belly in.
• Let yourself go and if you are sleep deprived, you will fall asleep very quickly. Otherwise, don't try to "force" it because you might get annoyed.
• Upon waking, take the time to open your eyes calmly and stretch before getting up.
It is true that it is more practical to take this nap when you are not at the office, but it can be very interesting for you, if you are often on business trips in particular.
Note: be careful not to fall back asleep after emerging because if this drowsiness is easy and seems beneficial, it is actually fatal to the quality of the afternoon that will follow!
So, what do you think? Ready to Take a Nap*?
*Ready to nap?
Gwendaline Guillaume.
Etre-bien-au-travail.fr
Posted online February 11, 2013.
