Naps May Be the Secret to Success

From kindergarteners to exhausted college students, people everywhere love and worship their nap time. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation are common for most people, unfortunately, so it’s no surprise that a vast majority of humans turn into serial nappers. Let’s be honest, nothing feels better than curling up after class or work and zoning out for a few hours. Naps are so refreshing, and they truly are a godsend. Here are just a few napping tips:

Napping Tips

• Be consistent. Try to nap at the same time every day. This helps stabilize yourcircadian rhythms and maximize the benefits. One easy way to do this? Schedule it.
• Keep it short. Avoid “sleep inertia,” that feeling of grogginess and disorientation that can come from awakening from a deep sleep. Long naps can also negatively impact nighttime sleep. I recommend twenty to thirty minutes tops. Set an alarm on your phone to avoid oversleeping.
• Turn off the lights. Light acts as a cue for our bodies. Darkness communicates it is time to shut down—or go into standby mode. If you can’t turn off the lights, use a simple eye mask. I bought mine at Walgreens. Turn the lights back up to full brightness when you wake up.
• Use a blanket. When you sleep, your metabolism falls, your breathing rate slows, and your body temperature drops slightly. Though not imperative, you will usually be more comfortable if you use a light blanket when you nap.
• Be discreet. Getting caught napping at your desk is not a good way to earn respect. In some old-school environments, it might even get you fired! But most people get an hour for lunch. Eat in half that time and then go snooze in your car, an unused conference room, or even a closet.

Napping Celebrities

• Leonardo da Vinci took multiple naps a day and slept less at night.
• The French Emperor Napoleon was not shy about taking naps. He indulged daily.
• Physicist Albert Einstein napped each day—on top of getting ten hours of sleep each night.
• Though Thomas Edison was embarrassed about his napping habit, he also practiced his ritual daily.
• Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, used to boost her energy by napping before speaking engagements.
• Gene Autry, “the Singing Cowboy,” routinely took naps in his dressing room between performances.
• President John F. Kennedy ate his lunch in bed and then settled in for a nap—every day!
• Oil industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller napped every afternoon in his office.
• Winston Churchill’s afternoon nap was a nonnegotiable. He believed it helped him get twice as much done each day.
• President Lyndon B. Johnson took a nap every afternoon at 3:30 p.m. to break his day up into “two shifts.”
• Though criticized for it, President Ronald Reagan famously took naps as well.