How to Achieve the Perfect Power Nap
Many of us are all too familiar with the disorienting “what year is it and what is my middle name” feeling after a long nap. As an experienced napper, I’ve collected my fair share of tips and tricks over the years to help take an absolutely perfect power nap when you need it most.
Step 1: Find a perfect place
Needless to say this does not have to be your bed. An experienced power napper can nap anywhere from a library cubicle to a moving vehicle. The most important thing is to chose somewhere where you’ll be comfortable enough to be fully and completely judged in all of your napping glory. My personal recommendations are the chaises in Cafe Bergson, the couches in the Olin basement, and Mudd Field.
Step 2: Make plans for right after
While this sometimes happens out of pure necessity, it is really helpful to have a plan for after your nap (preferably plans with someone else). Having something to do that you can look forward to or somewhere you need to be will help ensure that your power nap doesn’t turn into what the average person would consider a short night of sleep (~5 hours. It’s happened).
Step 3: Time it well
~Scientific studies~ show that it is important to keep your naps short: think 20 to 50 minutes. If you nap for too long you’ll start a REM cycle — aka fall into super deep sleep — and you WILL feel like a herd of wild animals has mauled you when your alarm goes off. In other words, be committed to making your nap a true power nap.
Step 4: Caffeinate beforehand
I know this sounds super counterintuitive, but drinking a cup of coffee before your nap is actually a really great tactic for power napping. This is because caffeine doesn’t actually hit your bloodstream until a bit after you drink it. So chug your coffee, take a nap, and you’ll have your own little internal alarm clock waking you up ~40 minutes later when it’s time to up and rally.
Happy napping!
By Dalia Lehman