Powernapping: Tips against the midday low
When Japanese are tired, they sleep - in the conference, on the park bench, in the subway. Pretty daring, you might think. But the Japanese right to nap - called Inemuri - is even enshrined in the constitution. And in other countries of East Asia, such as China and South Korea, people have realized what we have apparently forgotten: sleeping is healthy, and not only at night.
The biological rhythm of man causes a natural midday low. Between 13 and 14 o'clock our efficiency reaches a low point according to research of chronobiology. We yawn, are unfocused and uncomfortable. The day is far from over. So why not take a nap? Programmers from Silicon Valley just did it. They called their short sleep breaks "power-mapping", triggering a trend that has reached Europe in recent years.
Ten to a maximum of 30 minutes of sleep are enough
Powernapping, the napping for more power, replenishes our mid-day depleted energy sources in just ten to thirty minutes. This period of time already reaches our body and our psyche to recover. According to researchers at the University of Düsseldorf, even six minutes of sleep are enough to improve memory. It should never be more than half an hour. After that, a deeper sleep phase sets in, making it harder for us to wake up.
The fact that our energy reserves are empty around noon and we reach a low point of our concentration, is less due to the Currywurst or the potato soup, which is heavy in the stomach. Rather, the internal clock is responsible: It is not only programmed to the 24-hour rhythm, but also runs on a twelve-hour schedule.
The Health Guide Powernapping: Smart breaks with great success
by Grit Moschke and Andreas Atteneder has been published by Freya Verlag and costs € 19.90.
So not only between three and four o'clock in the morning, but also between 13 and 14 o'clock many functions in our organism are shut down. These include responsiveness, attention, motivation and core body temperature. In order to quickly regain these important functions in your job, short sleep is ideal.
But power mapping is not just good for short-term wellbeing. Although the health consequences of chronic fatigue have not been fully explored. However, it is well known: if permanent power is drawn from overvoltage, diseases such as burn-out syndrome or diabetes can develop. Researchers at Hiroshima University in Japan also found that a regular nap reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease by one-sixth.
This is how the power mapping works
While in East Asian companies the afternoon nap is of course practiced in special rest rooms, so far only a few German companies provide such places of refuge. Nevertheless, the short sleep is possible - if you make a few preparations.
The preparation
Step 1: Set the time of your personal break.
Step 2: Test the conditions: where is space? How much time do I have? What do I need?
Step 3: Research social acceptance: will my nap be tolerated? Or am I looking sideways?
Point of time
Powernapping is especially useful at 12.30 or around 14.30. This is related to our two-hour rest-activity rhythm, which restarts every day at about the odd hour: at 7 o'clock, at 9 o'clock, and so on. As our performance increases during the first 100 minutes of each cycle, it continues to fall in the remaining 20 minutes. Exactly this period should we use for a rest period. Shutting down is now easier than for example at 1 pm, when the activity phase has just started.
The place
If there is no rest room in the office, just use what is available. Lay your head on the desk. Or make yourself comfortable on the desk chair and place your feet on an open drawer or trash. If you prefer to go for a long time, lie down on the floor. There are also tools such as power-folding pillows, cushions, or masks. What you need from it, you decide.
The environment
Talk to your colleagues before they get started. Explain to them your plan so that you will not be interrupted. Close the door if possible and switch off the mobile phone and the radio.
Ready, Set, Go!
Switching off completely in the middle of the day for a few minutes is unfamiliar and will probably cost you more than half an hour. Do not have too high expectations at the beginning and just close your eyes. Short sleep is an art that can be practiced and learned.Silent music in the background can help with recovery as well as suggestions: small messages that penetrate deeper into your subconscious, the more often you repeat them.
And how do I wake up again?
If you're afraid of not awakening from slumber in time, just set an alarm clock. A safe method is also a cup of coffee before power mapping. Because the caffeine works only after about 20 to 30 minutes - just at the right time. Powernapping experts have another trick in store: the keychain method. To do this, pick up a bunch of keys and form a fist. When you fall asleep, after about 15 minutes, you will reach the next sleep phase, where your muscles automatically relax. The keychain falls to the ground and you wake up from the noise.
