Take a Power Nap After Lunch Today

Good News, Phyllis Korkki of the New York Times has written an article that tells us, That Yawn After Lunch Is Perfectly Normal.

I have long suspected as much, seeing that several European cultures, that have been around a lot longer than ours, allow for after lunch napping in some way or another. I'll admit, I suffer from drowsiness not long after I finish lunch that lasts two or three hours, after which I'm wide awake well into the night. In the article, I learned that this is a:

"Universal phenomenon, known as the “post-lunch dip,” and represents a collision of biology and economics.

It is entirely natural for humans to want to go to sleep about seven hours after they have awakened. But as the internal rhythms of the body call out for rest, the efficiency of the modern workplace demands continued exertion."

Evidently there are actual physiological processes at work, as she continues:

"First, the 24-hour cycle of the body, or its circadian rhythm, is naturally in a resting phase at this time. In the afternoon, it happens to converge with another physiological cycle — known as homeostatic — that measures the amount of time spent awake and that is also pushing for a rest.

Add the effects of food, which can also induce drowsiness, and an overpowering desire to sleep may result."

Does resisting these desires impede my ability to work? Yep, it looks like it does:

"A study of drivers found that more car accidents occur during the afternoon dip than at noon or 7 p.m., Dr. Dinges said.

Few studies have been done on drowsiness in the workplace, but it seems likely that more errors in judgment are also occurring in offices, on factory floors and in other work environments at this time."

What is the best way to get over the effects of "post-lunch dip"? Take a power nap, of course, some companies actually provide nap rooms for their sleepy workers, but you can't take a nap then:

"Try to perform more mundane tasks during the dip, and save projects that require the greatest accuracy, mental acuity and creativity for other times of the day, said Fred W. Turek, a biology professor and director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology at Northwestern University."

What is a power nap? A power nap is about a 20 minute nap, which is meant to be just long enough to be effective, but not so long as to set up one of our normal sleep cycles which are around 3 hours. The way you do it is, after lunch you drink a cup of coffee just before laying down for 20 minutes. Set an alarm if needed and when you awake, the caffeine in the coffee will have had enough time to take affect and you should feel refreshed and ready to work afterward.

To find out more information on this, check out Phyllis Korkki article That Yawn After Lunch Is Perfectly Normal. And I'll just curl up here under my desk...

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