Debunking 5 Popular Napping Myths That Can Transform Your Life

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Ok so you want to know the real truth about napping and you want to know it now? Read on because this article is going to debunk the 5 most popular napping myths in the world so you can take full advantage of you daily nap, use it at your advantage instead of doing it all wrong and screwing up your day.

Napping Myth # 1 - Napping Is Only For Kids

There could not be anything further from the truth. Granted the urge to nap is stronger in the younger ones, but this is not an age exclusive activity. We all need to rest at some point during the day. Yes the human body is a superb machine that can go and go some more. But imagine driving your car all day from 8 to 5 everyday. Is it going to "age" faster? You bet it is! The need for napping or at least taking some time to rest never really disappoints from the basic human needs. So if you thought napping was only for kids, think again.

Napping Myth # 2 - Napping Is Time Consuming

Well it can be if you do not know how to nap. Napping is one of the most efficient way to recuperate and refresh yourself. As you will see the best naps are the shortest ones. 15 to 20 minutes is all you need, and honestly who does not have 20 minutes during the day to spend on their health (yes napping is a healthy habit). We all waste time on things that are detrimental to us or not so productive; so instead of wasting this precious time, invest it in a nap. Not only is it not time consuming, but I'm saying it's time saving. Let me explain; by taking a nap you allow your body to rest, to take a break from your usual activity and recharge itself. When you wake up after 15 to 20 minutes, you will be refreshed and ready to go, and therefore more efficient in your work, which will allow you to accomplish more work in a shorter amount of time as well as a better quality work. Some countries and individual companies are now realizing how much more efficient their employees are when they take a nap through the day so they decided to encourage napping at work, and some even enforced it! I recently saw a show on a small company that had reserved a special room, where all employees would go once a day take a short nap, and go back to work. After implementing this, their productivity shot through the roof and so did employee satisfaction. Not only is a nap not time consuming, but it improves your performance and productivity. That's something you should tell your boss ....

Napping Myth # 3 - You Have To Have A Bed To Nap

This is probably the largest mistake some people make when napping, and it is the very reason why some of you have problems sleeping at night. By definition a nap is short, as opposed to a full night of sleep. The mistake people make when napping in bed is that they train their brain to associate the bed with a short sleeping session (nap), and when comes the time to sleep at night, their body automatically thinks, they are going to take a nap and they end up waking up. Of course this does not happen in a day; it takes a while for the brain to create the association, but if repeated enough, you will unknowingly create your own sleep problem and as you take your daily nap in bed, you are re-enacting the erroneous message. Or even worse; If the bed is already associated with night time sleep, you may find yourself taking too long of a nap, which is totally the opposite of what napping should be. I am not going to tell you all the places where you can take your nap, because behind the wheel or a few otherappropriate locations you could actually nap anywhere, except for your bed of course. As a general rule, if it's comfortable and quiet enough, then it's somewhere you can nap.

Napping Myth # 4 - Napping Will Prevent You From Sleeping At Night

Yes it will, only if you do not respect a certain set of rules. But if practiced the proper way, there will be no such problem. If the time of the day you nap is appropriate (early in the afternoon, rather than late) and your nap is kept to a short time (no more than 30 minutes), it will not affect your night sleep in a negative manner.

Myth # 5 - Naps Make You Groggy

Not if you keep it short. Let me explain: as long as you stay in the first stages of sleep, you will be able to wake up and be energized. But if you enter the deep stages of sleep during your nap, then that's when trouble starts; it will be much harder for you to get up, and you will feel as if you were waking up from a 6 month hibernation period. You will be groggy! The length of a sleep cycle, is approximately 90 minutes; you certainly do not want to nap for that long, nor do you want to enter deep sleep. So again, time is critical, I highly recommend a 20 minute nap, 30 minutes tops. So there you have it, you now know the truth about napping. So let go of the mouse, get on the couch and enjoy a 20 minute snooze.

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