Why you should nap every day

I’m super glad there’s more “proof” available to support why you should nap every day.

Like Michael Hyatt says in his post, I’ve always felt guilty about it…

Like I was lazy, or slacking off.

In fact, when I ran my family “corporate” company, I pulled a “Costanza” (that’s George Costanza from Seinfeld if you’ve lived under a rock 🙂 ) before the writers ever thought of it.

What is the “costanza” I’m referring to?

The episode where George takes a nap under his desk when he’s working for the Yankees.

Anyhoo…

Here’s why you should nap every day

Napping is becoming more popular as people write about the benefits and our world becomes more connected with how others are “productively” rockin’ out their day.

Michael Hyatt talks about the 5 reasons why you should take a nap every day in this post.

Here’s my take on why you should nap every day:

I’m proud to know that I’m in the same circle of successful celebrities who figured out why you should nap every day:

Leonardo da Vinci
Napoleon
Thomas Edison
Eleanor Roosevelt
Gene Autry
John F. Kennedy
John D. Rockefeller
Wilson Churchill

and so on.

The point is..many of these people had regular routines about their daily naps….

And they were NON NEGOTIABLE.

Some of my coaching clients think I’m off my rocker when I tell them to take regular “time outs” in their day so they can GET MORE DONE.

I totally agree with being consistent with your naps because it helps stabilize your circadian rhythms…

AND…keep them under 30 minutes.

I like to call these “power naps”.  Mine are set for 20 mins.

I  literally time my naps so I don’t fall into a deep sleep.

There are also major benefits to why you should nap every day you probably didn’t realize:

1. A nap restores alertness. The National Sleep Foundation recommends a short nap of 20–30 minutes “for improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.”
2. A nap prevents burnout. In our always-on culture, we go, go, go. However, we were not meant to race without rest. Doing so leads to stress, frustration, and burnout. Taking a nap is like a system reboot. It relieves stress and gives you a fresh start.
3. A nap heightens sensory perception. According to Dr. Sandra C. Mednick, author of Take a Nap, Change Your Life, napping can restore the sensitivity of sight, hearing, and taste. Napping also improves your creativity by relaxing your mind and allowing new associations to form in it.
4. A nap reduces the risk of heart disease. Did you know those who take a midday siesta at least three times a week are 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease? Working men are 64 percent less likely! It’s true, according to a 2007 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, who led the study said, “Taking a nap could turn out to be an important weapon in the fight against coronary mortality.”
5. A nap makes you more productive. Numerous medical studies have shown workers becoming increasingly unproductive as the day wears on. But a 2002 Harvard University study demonstrated a 30-minute nap boosted the performance of workers, returning their productivity to beginning-of-the-day levels.

I took those right from Michael’s post. You can read the entire thing here.

What do you think now? Are you already a napper? Will you BECOME a napper now that you’ve read this? Let’s start a conversation below….