5 Benefits of Power Napping for the Working Professional

Let’s face it, most of us need to work around the clock for more than 8 hours a day. Depending on the industry you’re working at, some need to clock in up to 13 hours including overtime. With such a long working period, it’s natural that our mind and body can easily drain by midday. This is especially true if you’re not catching enough sleep at home or you’re not eating right during breakfast and lunch. Typically, most of us will resort into drinking a cup of java to stay awake. But unfortunately, too much caffeine can do more harm than good. So, what’s the next best option? Two words: power nap. And here is why you should do it:

Power nap helps boost alertness and productivity

Believe it or not, power nap helps you recharge and even increases your productivity at work. In fact, sleep researcher Sara Mednick of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has discovered that napping helps boost your productivity, even though a person gets enough sleep at night.

Power nap helps destress your body and mind

Feeling too stressed up with all the work piling up on your desk? Fret not, because by napping for a short period of time, it may reduce stress on your body and mind. After all, you deserve a short break.

Power nap helps enhance bone health

If you think power nap is just for your body and mind, well, think again. According to a 2015 study documented by Science Daily, sleep deficiency can impact your overall bone health. This is why sleep or napping can make your bones repair themselves. So don’t underestimate the benefit of power nap, because it may save you from getting osteoporosis in the future.

Power nap helps boost your creativity

Good news for those who works in the creative industry! Whether you are a graphic designer, copywriter or film director, power nap helps increase your creative juice. This is because power naps are often linked with increased right-brain activity, which of course, responsible for our critical thinking skills. So, if you’re working on a project or an assignment that requires a lot of thinking cap, make good use of the power nap.

Power nap helps ward off many diseases

This is yet another good news that most of us would like to hear: power nap could save your life. Besides, lack of sleep is often associated with risk of many diseases such as high blood pressure, depression and heart attack. With power nap, it becomes a form of recovery sleep that helps reduce many possible health problems.

Although napping in the mid-afternoon is often dismissed as a lazy person, power nap is really crucial to help you recharge at work. Of course, power nap doesn’t mean you take advantage of your working time and laze around on the couch. If possible, make it 20 to 30 minutes worth of power nap every day at work. While it’s understandable that some companies do not encourage their employees to nap, you can at least talk to your boss or your superior. If not, there’s always a simple way to get your much-needed power nap. That is by making good use of your one-hour lunch break to nap after meal.