How Power Napping Can Boost Your Productivity
Posted 4:04 PM 7/3/2020 by Deb Maurer
The first time I listened to a medical professional describe her sleep deprivation, it was an eye opening experience, pun intended. I was at a health conference in 2016 and had the privilege of sitting next to one of the evenings speakers, Dr. Sherron Marquina, DC, PAK. She described in frightening detail to the audience what had happened to her personally, like forgetting her name when she was standing in line at the DOT. She realized then that something was seriously wrong with her.
She realized then that something was seriously wrong with her. She was experiencing memory loss, compromised judgement and perception distortions among other symptoms. She eventually looked into sleep deprivation and then completely changed her lifestyle to include getting more quality sleep.
For decades she had been averaging no more than 5 hours of sleep a night. She delved further into the subject and based on her own research and the work of others, she changed her sleep patterns and her life improved dramatically.
FOR BETTER SLEEP: TURN OFF ALL LIGHTS, SLEEP IN DARKNESS
One of the reasons people in urban areas do not sleep as well as those in the country is due to the lights that never go out and the noise that does not stop. You cannot produce melatonin with light in the room.
You should be in bed by 11PM, and one hour before bedtime, reduce bright and blue lighting (this means turn off the computer and read a book).
Also, limit vigorous exercise 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. Now I realize why using the treadmill years ago right before bed was so counter productive, I always had trouble falling asleep after that.
Prior to 1830, there were 2 phases of sleep, a 1st sleep night watch, and then a second sleep. Napping was common. The expectation of a night of uninterrupted sleep appeared only with the industrialization in the nineteenth century.
Here's a short video that explains it