Power Sleeping – Are your Naps Robbing you of Energy?

Power Sleeping – Are your Naps Robbing you of Energy?

To nap or not to nap? That is the question. There seem to be arguments
on both sides of the question of whether napping is beneficial. The simple
answer is that naps can be very effective for increasing energy levels when one has a proper understanding of how the sleep system works. Failure to
understand the inner sleep system and sleeping to long during the day can
actually result in sleep that actually robs you of energy.

Contrary to popular belief, our bodies are actually very busy when we are
sleeping. In fact, our inner sleep system involves a complex process of
sequential sleep stages. There are a total of five sleep stages. The first
two stages, Stages 1 and 2, are considered light sleeping. During Stages 1 and 2 we can be easily awakened and we do not enter a deep enough sleep cause
a disturbance to our inner sleep clock. Generally we are in Stage 1 and 2
sleep during the first 45 minutes of sleep. If we sleep longer than 45 minutes
we will enter the later stages of sleep which involve deep sleep.

Deep sleep, Stages 3, 4, and 5, involves physiological changes in body
temperature, heart rate and respiration. It is during deep sleep that our
bodies work to repair themselves and fight disease. This is why people tend
to sleep more when they are sick and why lack of quality sleep can lower the
immune system. You can see how taking naps which are more than 45 minutes and
involve deep sleep could actually knock your inner sleep system off balance
leaving you tired and without energy. Also, because of the complex processes
going on during deep sleep it can be detrimental to awaken from deep sleep
prematurely. Therefore to achieve the maximum benefit from a nap it needs to
be less than 45 minutes. In fact, the optimal napping length seems to be ten
to twenty minutes. A ten to twenty minute power nap can actually leave you
feeling more refreshed and energized than if you had slept much longer.

A power nap can give you just that lift you need to be more productive. This
knowledge alone can improve your energy levels and lessen your need for sleep.
The

Powerful Sleep course goes into more detail about how to maximize your nap
time with Power Naps and how to know exactly what is the best time of day to nap and what to do after your nap to speed up your body temperature rise. When it comes to sleep – think quality and quantity.

This article is copyright©Craig Desorcy

****************************************************************
For complete information on The Powerful Sleep Course Click here http://www.effective-info.com/powerfulsleep.html

About Author:
Craig Desorcy Is a published author and an active advocate of holistic life
styles. Craig(at)effective-info.com
****************************************************************

About the Author

For complete information on The Powerful Sleep Course Click here http://www.effective-info.com/powerfulsleep.html

About Author:
Craig Desorcy Is a published author and an active advocate of holistic life styles. Craig(at)effective-info.com

50 Ways To Beat Insomnia
About a third of us have sleep difficulties occasionally, but for some people insomnia can be a chronic problem which lasts for months or even years....

While I wasn't sleeping again...
While I wasn't sleeping again... August 2004 p.j.f It's 3 AM now. I am still wide awake. It has been a an hour now since I laid in my bed. An...

Sleep With 'Em First!
Well, as I sit here writing this, it’s very quiet. The air is cool and the house is dark, the only light emanating from within being the light from...

Insomnia Medication Side Effects
I seldom have a sleepless night but remember an occasion when I had difficulty falling asleep. Being awake when I should have been asleep was...