You are here: Home / General / Optimizing Naps

Optimizing Naps

By 7 Comments

We’ve been discussing naps frequently around here. I’m fascinated by the idea of improving cognitive function, boosting hormone production and generally becoming more effective in life by simply taking a break and napping.

Today, I’m curious about how to optimize for good sleep. More specifically, I’m mining for what sort of surface is ideal for the most Zs. We can’t always be assured of a bed for an afternoon nap, so we must be resourceful and not let obstacles distract us from our goal.

Yesterday afternoon, I lay on the floor in my office as has been my practice for several days straight. Shades drawn, feet up on a chair, I closed my eyes and rested. As the minutes passed, I drifted off into a very light, barely identifiable sleep. There was nothing beyond that. I was up and working 30 minutes later. This was not my desired outcome. Rather, I’d like to grab 45 minutes of real, uninterrupted REM and deep sleep. The good stuff.

The other day, I grabbed myself this product for my afternoon slumbers at work. I logically figured that I could roll it up and stick it in the corner when I’m not napping. Will this be the surface that has me seeing the green butterfly from the Lunesta commercials (our drug companies are clever, huh)? It seems there may not be conclusive evidence to suggest that I’m doing myself a favor. From zafu.net:

When I researched for months trying to find an intelligent, scientific article on what type of bed will provide deep, rejuvenating sleep, I could not find it. None of the research seems to know specifically anything about this-in other words, the statements are not definitive and claims are not backed up, or are backed up with dubious studies. Even the terms ‘comfort’, ‘soft’, and ‘healthy’ are not defined. No studies measure the important health indicators, like pulse, heart rate, levels of stress hormones as related to the type of surface being used.

I’ve done my own digging and haven’t found a study that satisfies me, either. At this point, I’ll trust logic. I’m guessing that if I’m more comfortable, I’ll rest easier. Perhaps my purchase will help. Frankly, this floor is exceptionally hard, and it won’t take much to elevate the pleasure of my experience, at least incrementally.

Value at the margins,

Kap

  • mjessenmacher

    common sense can go along way I do believe…if you’re tired - take a nap…or go to sleep…??? LOL

  • bill

    Harder to find the perfect place than you would think. I’m always curious as to Chinese habits, I guess simply because they’ve been doing everything for so long. As far as I can tell from my trips there, historically they sleep flat on their back with a contoured stone as a pillow…not my first choice! But perhaps for just a 20 minute snooze, maybe. I’m guessing you may have experienced some pretty hard mattresses in Japan. My best experience was with a high back chair in the break room that was the exact, right height for me-20 minutes in that, and I was good to go for the rest of the day. When you get it just right, it does to wonders for your energy level, and mental sharpness. Should probably research the whole ‘Goldilocks Incident’-not too , soft, not too hard, just right!

  • Hollie Hamilton

    I’m going to take a nap right now. Nite all :)

  • heather

    Hi Gabe,
    If your looking to obtain a deeper sleep, you may want to try Bikram yoga. Not that your rad blanket / air mattress was a unnecessary purchase, I’m sure it is better than a chair…just think your results may lie beyond the surface your sleeping on. Several case studies are available to research the connection Bikram yoga has on sleep patterns, some more intriguing than others. I noticed that I fell asleep quicker, that sleep was less interrupted and I dreamt more than I had ever remembered dreaming. Since dreams mostly occur in the REM stage of the sleep cycle, I was certain I was obtaining more REM due to the yoga. Seems like that is what you are after, interested to hear your thoughts on it.

  • Matt

    Kap,
    Could you do an article about the ideal amount of sleep for someone in training? Your article on optimizing sleep recommends 7 hours, but then you hear from various articles that you should sleep in intervals of 2 hours, or 90 minutes, etc. in order to wake up at the end of a REM cycle. Any info would be good.
    Thanks,
    Matt

  • http://www.Kelebekfusion.com Kelebek Beyaz

    As a Narcoleptic, I don’t have problems falling to sleep at all.
    However, I do own two pillows and a blanket that I use to take short naps if I am working long hours. I find the warmth of the blanket and the pillow really help me relax. Also, total darkness seems to put me into a deeper sleep.
    Kelebek

  • Msquared

    I must have one of those…
    Looks so comfortable.