Have trouble sleeping?

Studies have shown that stress is the most significant contributor to difficulty sleeping. If you take a short power nap once or more per week, each nap will help lessen your overall sleep deficit. You'll feel better, more rested and less stressed. And, unlike a longer siesta, power napping does not interfere with your normal sleep cycle or your Circadian clock.

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Naps Are Not Just For Kids

Napoleon did it on the battlefield. Brahms did it at the piano. Edison did it on his desk. Einstein did it between equations, da Vinci between paintings, and Winston Churchill throughout World War II. John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton did it when they were president. Apparently, you're never too big to take a nap. Power naps, catnaps, minisleeps or combat naps, all accomplish the same thing - restorative sleep that can boost your lateral thinking, aid your creativity, help your problem solving, and help you maintain your health.

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It's All In Your Head

Our research indicates that more people would nap except for three false beliefs we carry around in our heads:
1) I can't nap OR I can't nap here.
2) I feel groggy when I wake up from a nap.
3) I'm too busy - I'll miss something important if I nap.

In fact, taking a short, power nap has multiple health benefits. Read what Experts have to say about the health effects of sleep deprivation.

To Nap or Not to Nap

Intrigued with the idea of the 'power breakfast' popularized and accepted as standard business practice, Dr. James Maas of Cornell University, coined the term, 'power nap'. According to Dr. Maas, there is an art and science to good napping and he offers the following tips:

Naps are a good idea if you can't manage to get one continuous period of sleep at night that is long enough to enable you to be fully alert all day. Shift workers, caregivers, medical professionals, truck drivers are often chronically sleep deprived; if this sounds like you, then you're a good candidate for the benefit of power napping.

Naps taken about eight hours after waking have been proven to do much more for you than if you simply added those twenty minutes to your regular nighttime sleep.

Naps improve your critical and analytical thinking abilities. Albert Einstein felt that his daily naps refreshed his mind and made him more creative.

A nap should be about 15-30 minutes in duration, not longer. Longer naps put you into too deep a sleep, waking up becomes difficult, you feel terribly groggy rather than refreshed, it takes you longer to recover and it can interfere with your normal, nighttime sleep cycle. If you're sleepy, take a power nap.

Still wondering if you could benefit from the PNK nap/relaxation sessions?
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Drowsy While Driving?

Many people experience or witness this. It's dangerous, and no amount of coffee, loud music or wind blowing through your hair may help. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), if you become drowsy while driving, stop driving, pull off the road, consume some caffeine and take a 15-30 minute power nap. 10-25 minutes of sleep will give you the rest equivalent of 2-4 hours sleep. Remember too that since it takes about 30 minutes for caffeine to enter your bloodstream, take a nap while you're waiting for the caffeine to take effect.

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Power Nap or Meditation?

While meditating or taking a power nap can similarly improve your health, power napping differs from meditation in several ways. The primary way is orientation. The power nap experience makes sleep the goal; meditation does not. The voice-guided power nap sessions on the Power Nap Discs utilize meditation and progressive relaxation techniques to guide you into a state of total relaxation and sleep. Even if you do not fall totally asleep during your power nap session, you may still derive the same stress-reducing benefits of meditation.

Pill-free, Caffeine-free, Sugar-free

Americans spend more than $2 billion annually on prescription sleep medicines, even though experts question whether such medicines are necessary. Taking a power nap during the day will not interfere with your normal sleep cycle and it may also relieve some of the stress that keeps you awake at night.

Sleep deprivation also raises hormone levels linked with appetite and eating behavior. The result? "Since the brain is fueled by glucose, we suspect it seeks simple carbohydrates when distressed by lack of sleep, " according to Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine at the U. of Chicago. She also found that sleep-deprived men tend to choose candy, cookies and cake over fruit, vegetables or dairy products.

And it's time to wake up about the dangers of caffeine abuse. According to Northwestern University's Danielle McCarthy, MD, "Part of the problem is that people do not think of caffeine as a drug, but rather as a food product. We want people ingesting caffeine pills and supplements to know that caffeine is a drug, and overuse is potentially harmful, especially when mixed with other pharmaceuticals for euphoria." Read more in Zzzzz News: Caffeine > Friend or Foe?

The Power Nap Kit™ provides everything you need to conquer your sleep deprivation without pills, caffeine or sugary snacks.

Power Naps Boost Work Performance

Taking a "power nap" during the working day may well help us perform better, suggests research. But don't sleep for too long. After 30 minutes of napping, it's natural for the brain to sink into deeper levels of sleep, along with the associated brain waves. It's more difficult for the body and mind to wake up from deeper sleep.

Research provides the proof - adequate sleep is as important as exercise and diet. Yet millions of Americans admit to being sleep deprived. The National Sleep Foundation's (NSF) most recent Sleep in America poll reveals that 40% of respondents get less than seven hours of sleep nightly. The number of people getting 6 hours or less of sleep has increased by a third over the past 5 years.

According to the USAF Flight Surgeon's Guide, in a chapter devoted to health, fitness and nutrition, the short nap or 'combat nap' or 'power nap' provides the rest equivalent of 2-4 hours of sleep and can improve physical and mental activity for 2-3 days, sometimes longer.

The PNK is available in customized editions for businesses, schools and other organizations. Learn more

Learn like Einstein

Naps can improve your critical and analytical thinking abilities. Albert Einstein felt that his daily naps refreshed his mind and made him more creative. Sleep experts such as Dr. Sara C. Mednick, agree that a nap should be about fifteen to thirty minutes in duration, not longer. Longer naps permit your body to move into a deeper Delta sleep cycle. Waking up becomes very difficult, you feel terribly groggy rather than refreshed and it takes you longer to recover.

Visit Human Resources for related information.