Nappuccino

We all get low points in our focus and productivity at points in the day. Read on for a strategy to help deal with this and then use the Free Audio for extra benefit.

There are few people skilled as me when it comes to taking a nap, but what about a Nappuccino combining Caffeine and Sleep. Having spent more years than I care to remember working in Hospitality and service industries sleep has at times seemed to be something of a luxury. Many discussions took place with peers regards the benefit of catching forty winks or ‘powering through’; perhaps fuelled by weapons grade coffee.

Sleep and Tiredness

In some workplaces putting in extra hours or going without a day off is seen as a show of strength; all hail the hero. Although whether we like to admit it or not when we become tired the quality of our output suffers. Various studies have shown that overtime in the workplace is poor for productivity, resulting in lower personal performance and increased sick time.

Personal experience tells us that we feel better and operate on a more competent level after good sleep and with regular rest.

The variable here is good and what constitutes a good sleep. This was often part of those discussions I had with peers, there were various opinions on how much sleep was needed to feel refreshed. Often appearing to be something of a paradox I could take a nap and wake up feeling worse? With so many cliches around sleep you would think we would have it worked out by now. Is an hour before ten worth two after twelve?

Early to bed, early to rise, appears to make sense. Numerous studies and discussions about the negative impact of the connected world on health reveal concerns including negative effects on sleep. The introduction of changing screen colours to promote production of the sleep hormone Melatonin show promise but should we go further? We certainly weren’t designed to operate at all hours of the day.

Experiments involving our Circadian Rhythms (24 hours) show how without outside stimulus the body knows to sleep and wake fairly consistently. And that our Ultradium Rhythms, occurring at periods of 90-120 minutes appear to govern our sleep cycles; moving us through different patterns.

These patterns start to make sense of my personal experience; fitting in a snooze of less than two hours usually left me feeling worse. On a quiet afternoon a couple of hours rest before evening service seemed to make sense, however on waking up I was usually reaching for the coffee pot.

Benefits of a Nap

Findings from a variety of studies including NASA, American Universities and British institutions have shown that there are distinct benefits to taking short naps these include:

Increased Cognitive Performance
Improved Mental and Physical Health
Extended Learning Ability
Boosts to Short Term Memory
Better Problem Solving
Increased Focus

But what about the problem of waking up feeling worse?

Sleep Inertia

Sleep Inertia is responsible for the drowsy and disconnected feeling you may experience as you awaken, lasting for between 15 and 60 minutes this can easily outweigh all the benefits of a nap.

Notice that the benefits listed above were observed following short naps. By limiting sleep to less than 30 minutes a stage of the sleep cycle known as Slow Wave Sleep is not entered, does not take place. And by avoiding this part of the sleep cycle Sleep Inertia can be avoided.

Caffeine

Reaching for the coffee pot to speed the wake-up process is fairly common. And coffee or tea breaks though out the day can certainly raise alertness for most people. Concerns around the over consumption of caffeine, should not be ignored. The trend over recent years for proper coffee, brewed at home or bought from one of the increasingly available outlets has certainly added to this. There is of course decaffeinated coffee; although it has no place in my cupboard. Coffee is by no means the only source of caffeine with energy drinks, confectionery, caffeine tablets and tea among other sources.

The website Caffeine Informer has a page Caffeine Absorption that compares how quickly different sources enter the bloodstream. In brief liquid forms (eg Coffee and Energy Drinks) start to take effect after 15-20 minutes, while caffeine capsules are far slower needing to be absorbed in the stomach first.

The Nappucino looks to capitalise on the benefits of both avoiding sleep inertia and a boost from caffeine.

How to take a Nappuccino

Recognising when your low energy slump occurs will allow you to make best use of this strategy. In their post Napping: Do’s and don’ts for healthy adults the Mayo Clinic recommends around 2pm or 3pm for a short nap although differing lifestyles can affect this. If you have a less conventional schedule consider seven hours after you awaken from your night’s sleep as good starting point.

Essential preparations are to make sure you won’t be disturbed and can relax for around 25-30 minutes. Go take a comfort break on the way to making yourself a coffee (or other caffeine source), settle down and enjoy your beverage. Now set your alarm for 25-30 minutes time and take a nap. As an additional aid to a peaceful nap I recommend making a ‘To Do’ list of no more than three items while drinking your coffee. The ‘To Do’ list will remove the need to occupy your mind churning what needs to be done post nap.

I opened this post bragging about my skill when it comes to sleep; really I have a talent. However I know not everyone is quite so fortunate, for you I have an audio to listen to. You can stream the Nappuccino below, or click here to download the Nappuccino for offline listening(mp3 download will start automatically).

This audio should not be used if you are currently being treated for any Psychological Illness or disorder, under the Influence of Alcohol or Recreational Drugs or have been advised to avoid Hypnosis by a relevant professional.

This is not intended as a hypnosis session although there are similarities and you will benefit from positive suggestions. All the same precautions apply: Do not listen to when you need to maintain attention or if you have any medical condition that may be troubled.

The audio is designed to create relaxation, you may or may not enter sleep. Remember to set an alarm in case you do not respond to the final wake up instruction. When setting the alarm allow 25 minutes from starting the audio; even if you need the alarm to awaken you your subconscious will have absorbed the positive suggestions.

Nappuccino Summary

When I first heard the term Nappuccino and looked into it I was a little surprised, I had already been following this pattern at times when I need a little energy boost. Not being fully aware of the science behind it I felt somehow vindicated for what may appear rather odd; drink a coffee and go to sleep!

The Nappuccino is one of three strategies that I regularly suggest people try, the other two being Power Pose and Relaxation Hypnosis. You can find links the these below where you can download supporting audio files.