

Taking naps boosts memory and creativity - gruseom
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081125.wsleep1125/BNStory/Science/home

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gregstoll
It's a shame naps aren't commonly seen as a productivity enhancer (here in the
US, anyway) - there have been quite a few days where just a 20 minute nap
would probably have helped me focus for the rest of the afternoon.

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gruseom
I totally agree. It's been a fantasy of mine for years to have a company where
there are a couple of beautiful quiet rooms with an armchair and some sort of
couch or cot. You could reserve them for a half hour to think or sleep. I know
for sure that this would enhance my productivity, and probably others' as
well.

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kapitti
I've always believed in the power of a nap when you start losing focus or are
stumped on a particular problem. I've put a futon in my office for that exact
purpose.

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sgoraya
Agreed - I have a small couch in my office that I use for naps; Sometimes in
the early afternoon, I lose motivation and hit the proverbial 'wall' - when
this happens, I just set my cell phone alarm and nap for an hour.

I usually wake up alert and refreshed and try to make up for the lost time. As
an aside, I once forgot to set my alarm and ended up sleeping for about 3
hours. My colleague thought I had left for the day :)

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fallentimes
I try to take 3 naps + per week. I'm a big fan of the caffeine nap for the
extra long days:

[http://lifehacker.com/software/sleep/take-a-caffeine-
nap-154...](http://lifehacker.com/software/sleep/take-a-caffeine-
nap-154237.php)

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gruseom
That's very interesting. What makes you a big fan? What effects do you
observe? How does it compare to drinking coffee and not sleeping, or not
drinking coffee and sleeping?

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izaidi
Not the parent, but I often take caffeine naps as well and they're great. For
me they're always accompanied by an awesome action-packed nap dream and I wake
up extremely refreshed.

Mine are a lot longer than 15 minutes, though -- usually 1.5 to 2 hours.

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cpr
What I've read for years, and experienced myself, is that a 20- to 30-minute
nap is refreshing, while a longer nap (1-2 hours) will make you feel fairly
sludgy for a while after you wake up.

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kirse
It all depends on when you wake up in your sleep cycle.

20 minutes is usually that period where you get max rest before entering
deeper sleep. The average full sleep cycle is about 90 minutes, so at that
point you're usually in light sleep mode again.

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krakensden
Is it just me, or have a lot of pro-napping stories been making the rounds for
the past two weeks?

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weegee
"When in doubt get horizontal"

