Mainly people consider napping a waste of time because it is highly unproductive. However, based on scientific research conducted The University of Chicago Laboratories for Physiological Sciences, taking rests can actually be more productive than continuous work. It has been found out that sleeping for short amounts during the day can significantly improve performance in both mental and physical aspects. In one study, after a 15-minute nap, a control groups’ hand dexterity has shown an average of 16% increase.
The Roles of REM and Deep Wave Sleep
According to Easy Snooze, a good source of sleep information I’ve stumbled upon a while back, sleep is divided into three parts. There is the part where no activity happens and the brain is just barely conscious, REM sleep, and deep wave sleep. During deep wave sleep, the body repairs the tissues, regulates the hormones, renews cells, and reduces the fatigue toxins within our body. It is during this part of our sleep where we gradually recuperate from fatigue, heal our wounds, and refresh our tired body.
REM(rapid-eye movement) sleep is the part of our sleep wherein we dream. It is characterized by the rapid eye movement we experience, hence the name. Also during REM sleep, our brain experiences structural changes wherein it consolidates all of the information we received during this day and inputs it into our long term and unconscious memory. All-in-all, these 2 parts of sleep, REM and Deep Wave, are experienced in abundance during well-scheduled naps.
My Personal Observations
My co-workers travel at least one hour to get to work, while I live just near my work. I used to travel great distances from home to work, but I needed to stand on the train, not getting the chance to take a nap. My co-workers have had the chance to take naps on the bus ride to work. I have observed that they have lesser sleep, but equal productivity as I do. Since they have to wake up earlier and get home earlier, they naturally have lesser time to sleep than I do. But since they also take naps during the travel time, they experience lesser need for longer night’s sleep than I do. During my college days, I used to travel long distances and get to sleep during transit. As compared to my classmates who live in a dorm the school, I find myself far more productive than most of them even though they have longer straight sleep than I do.
What is Needed to Take a Comfortable Nap
I have started to nap in the office during lunch time. It is a habit I am starting to develop for better productivity. All I used is a orthopedic side sleeper pillow to get to sleep. Actually, you can take naps even if you are not comfortable, but you could wake up with a sore or cramp muscle. Getting to nap naturally is a lot harder without developing the habit first. If you schedule it everyday, in a convenient time, your body will gradually get used to it, and you will be able to sleep quite naturally and wake up refreshed at the right time.