When we feel tired, we think of two things to energize ourselves: a nap and coffee. But what if we merge both of them and turn it into a coffee power nap? Let us see what exactly is a coffee power nap and how does coffee before nap helps us.
What is a coffee power nap?
We all know what coffee is and we know how it helps with sleep. We also know what a power nap is. A nap that lasts somewhere between 15-20 minutes. It is just enough to waive off some exhaustion and leaves you feeling fresh and more energized than before.
It is the perfect amount of sleep, not too much to put you into a deep sleep and not too little to leave you cranky. According to research, even a nap that lasts 6-10 minutes is enough to make one less tired and more alert. And a 30-minute nap is just as fulfilling as a proper sleep cycle which means it improves the mental as well as the physical health of a person.
So, what is a coffee power nap exactly? It is when you take your caffeine fix right before going to sleep. A coffee before nap may sound weird but it works.
How does it work?
There is a common misconception that caffeine gives an energy boost as soon as it is taken. But that is not the case. It takes about 20 minutes after it hits your system for the effects of caffeine to show and 45 minutes until it reaches its maximum capacity. So, the main aim is not to keep yourself awake with coffee but give you maximum energy once you wake up. The key is to have the coffee before the nap.
From a more scientific perspective, once you take coffee, it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the small intestine. And once the molecules are absorbed, they reach your brain. The hormones in the brain responsible for maintaining sleep cycles are left untriggered which is why after 20 minutes, the effects start to show.
When we sleep, the hormones that make us feel tired are naturally drained from the body which is why we feel more charged after waking up.
When we drink coffee and take a nap, the hormones in the body are already not working. Combined with the effects of caffeine that start to kick in, we are more energized than ever. Neither will we get tired as quickly as before.
Does it work?
There is no logical way through which scientists can get into your brain and check the effects of caffeine but this coffee power nap chronicle has shown some research. According to a study carried out at the Loughborough University in the UK, the participants who took a coffee power nap before the driving simulator made fewer mistakes as compared to the ones who did not.
Similarly, Japanese researchers also found out that participants performed better on memory tests when they had taken a 15-minute power nap. The same study also revealed that exposure to bright lights and washing your face with water could also help a person wake up.
Let’s take a coffee power nap:
- Take a beverage (coffee or tea) that contains at least 100-200 mg of caffeine. Do not add any sugar or milk. And even if you decide to take an energy drink, that should also be sugar-free to avoid messing up glucose levels in the blood.
- Set an alarm for not more than 20 minutes so you could enjoy the maximum effects of caffeine after waking up.
- The best part: sleeping. You do not have to force yourself to sleep. Even relaxing with your eyes closed can make a big difference.
- Rise and shine and ready to go.
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