1st: Daily reserve about 15 – 20 minutes for your energy-sleep, at least. Perfect is the time between 01.00 p.m. and 03.00 p.m. Also note summer- and winter-time. Your inner clock is only following the natural course of the sun and not your wrist-watch! Winter-time is “normal-time”.
2nd: As soon as you have found out our “biological low point” during lunchtime or in the early afternoon you should respect and use it from this time on. That means, no efforts, no stimulants (coffee, tea, nicotine) or forced dynamic (for example sports or other activities) to resist this “biological break signal”. Indulge in this short siesta. By doing so, you are also taking advantage of a bigger characteristic – the natural basic-rest-activity-cycle (BRAC) between 01.00 p.m. and 03.00 p.m.
3rd: Look for a suitable place, where you are undisturbed. You need not lie down for your power nap but also can relax and put your legs up sitting in a comfortable (office-, TV-) chair.
4th: Close windows and doors, turn off your phone and mobile, at home inform your family or housemates – in the office your colleges – that you don’t want to be disturbed for a while.
5th: Set an alarm clock for about 20 minutes. Your siesta should not last longer than 30 minutes, otherwise it would take you too long to get properly awake again. Furthermore, a siesta too long can be the cause for hardly being able to fall asleep in the evening. A limited nap from 10 to 30 minutes is refreshing.
6th: When you are untrained, don’t put yourself under pressure that you have to relax and sleep right now. Just do it or think about a beautiful, relaxing (holiday-) event, something that has nothing to do with your momentarily work.
7th: Never feel guilty when making a break or a siesta. Think about how refreshed, more balanced and more productive you will be afterwards and how you are going to please your fellow human beings and hopefully our boss, too, with that.
8th: In the beginning, it is possible that you find it hard to fall asleep at once. But, don’t give up. Your body has to get accustomed to the fact that he can give in in his natural need. Especially athletes should train sleeping in the same way as they train their sports. You are a relaxing-champion when you are able to relax single muscles and the well-known “muscle-twitching” is starting.
9th: A coffee right before your power nap is serving as an additional pick-me-up because of its caffeine that is released after about 30 – 40 minutes. So, you can prevent from falling into a light form of deep-sleep, which would rather trigger an inconvenient form of “drowsiness”.
10th: After your siesta, take yourself a couple of minutes to properly wake up. Stretch yourself in front of an open window, take deep breaths, wash your hands and face cold. After a recreational break, this will be leveraging.
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