I’m just going to come out and say it, I love having a nap. They are life savers sometimes. I’m not just talking about those nice lazy Sunday afternoons where you fall asleep on the sofa watching trashy TV. I mean a nap in the middle of the working day.
There’s a lot to be said for power naps. If you’ve never taken one, try it next time you’re feeling sleepy at your desk. I guarantee after 15 minutes you’ll feel more awake than if you’d downed three cups of coffee.
One of the things I love about being freelance is having a bit more flexibility with my time. That means I can take naps if I’m feeling tired. I’m not slacking when I do this (honest) - it’s a way to boost my productivity for the next few hours.
And it works so well. A 10-15 minute nap will keep me going with work for another 3-4 hours. Not just in the sense that I’m able to keep working, but in the sense that I feel alert and energised in a way that I never do if I just try to push through.
Caught napping?
When I had a regular, full-time job there were afternoons where I just felt incredibly sleepy. There wasn’t always a logical reason for it; some days we’re just more tired than others. On those days I’d long for somewhere I could curl up and sleep for 10 minutes.
I remember once suggesting that we should get hammocks in a breakout room so that we could nap in the day - a suggestion that my bosses laughed at. I wasn’t joking, but clearly they thought it was a silly idea.
I’ve also fallen asleep at my computer, jumped as I awoke and had to look around to see if anyone had noticed (don’t pretend you’ve never done that either). One day I even resorted to curling up under my desk for a quick 10 minute nap. Not the most comfy place to snooze I admit, but just closing my eyes for a few minutes gave me the boost of energy I needed to make it through the afternoon.
And not only to make it through the afternoon, but to actually be productive. That afternoon I did work. If I hadn’t had my brief nap, I probably would have pretended to do work for a couple of hours and then left the office as early as possible.
The science of a nap
I think that my anecdotal evidence is quite strong - I certainly know that power naps work for me. But there’s science to back this up too! I found this article in the Guardian and while it’s a few years old the studies it cites are still valid.
For instance, a Nasa study found that pilots on long flights who take a 26-minute nap see their performance improve by 34% and their alertness improve by 54%. You have to admit, that’s impressive.
What’s also really interesting is that sleep guru Nick Littlehayes explained in the Guardian article that napping doesn’t even have to mean sleeping. Taking yourself somewhere quiet, closing your eyes and disconnecting from the world for that short period of time is enough to boost your energy and productivity.
So while I might have felt a little foolish to nap under my desk, I actually had science on my side.
For now I’m just glad that I mostly work from home, so on the days when I do feel the need for a power nap I have a bed or sofa to curl up on. If you’ve never had a power nap - try one next time you’re feeling tired in the middle of the day. You won’t regret it.
