A power nap is defined as a short nap during the day of about 20-30 minutes duration,” says William Deardorff, Medical Advisor for Spine-health.com. “This results in a winding down of activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The short duration of a power nap prevents the person’s brain from entering slow-wave (deeper) sleep. Waking up after being in this deeper state of sleep can result in a sleep inertia causing you to feel heavy, sluggish and groggy.”

“Power naps have recently been studied more extensively by researchers and found to yield many benefits such as a boost in productivity at work, lower stress, improved ability to concentrate, and enhanced mood. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found that with a nap, brain activity stays high throughout the day; but without a nap, brain activity declines over the course of a day,” says Dr. Deardorff.

“You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner… Don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That’s a foolish notion held by people who have no imaginations. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one — well, at least one and a half, I’m sure.” Winston Churchill