Coffee Naps or Nappucino’s are the latest trend in power-napping. Even if you aren’t big on napping, this might be something you can get behind to give yourself the energy boost needed to get through a crazy day.
How does it work?
Drink a quick cup of coffee then immediately take a nap. While it may seem counterintuitive, it takes the caffeine about 30 minutes to kick in. So, you fall asleep and when the caffeine kicks in you wake up with the perfect amount of sleep and the boost from the caffeine as well. It’s like setting a body alarm so you can’t oversleep.
There are a few small studies that support the concept. Research published back in 1997 in the journal Psychophysiology, for example, found that sleepy adults who combined 200 mg of caffeine (twice the amount in 8 ounces of brewed coffee) and then took a nap performed better on a simulated driving test compared to people who only got the caffeine or a placebo.
Another study published in Clinical Neurophysiology in 2003 divided 10 young adults into five experimental groups, each of which tried a different intervention in the middle of computer tasks. One group took a 20-minute nap. Another had 200 mg of caffeine plus a nap. Other participants took a nap and then washed their faces, or were exposed to bright light immediately after waking. And a fifth group simply rested. The most effective performance-boosting strategy? You guessed it: caffeine plus nap.
Does it have to be coffee?
No. If you have a sensitive stomach, you can drink a cup of tea (doesn’t matter what kind if it has caffeine).
Some Coffee Nap recommendations:
• Try to nap halfway through your day and don’t try to coffee nap in the evening – that’s only going to mess you up when you try and fall asleep.
• Limit yourself to one Nappucino a day.
• If you have insomnia, you shouldn’t be napping – talk to your doctor.
• Don’t let your coffee nap go longer than the 30-minute mark – it supposed to be a power nap, not a siesta.
Nothing replaces sleep. It gives our body and mind time to relax and recharge. As a healthy adult it is recommended that you get 7-9 hours a sleep nightly. Since our busy lifestyles don’t often lend themselves to that kind of sleep investment, a power nap might help fill the bill. So next time you find yourself at an energy low – consider a coffee nap.
