The Afternoon Slump
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We all know that horrible feeling after you have been for a lunch break... The afternoon slump at 3pm rolls around and it seems like quitting time is actually getting further away. Having a nap after lunch can actually help to break the afternoon down into more manageable chunks.
Learning Is Easier
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If you know you are due to have a busy afternoon of learning, then an afternoon nap can actually help improve how you will learn and store information. This is actually a skill that will get better and you will notice your ability to learn will increase.
Better Judgement
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A nap at work will result in better judgement throughout the day, so if you do a high pressure or stressful job then a power nap will certainly improve your decision making skills. People who nap are said to make decisions with have better outcomes 60% of the time.
Boosted Alertness
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A nap at work is a great way to refresh your mind. Similar to how you feel when you get to work, you might actually notice that you are more alert and feel more awake. This is great for productivity and doesn't leave you going home feeling down in the dumps.
Creativity
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Taking a little time to have a nap is the perfect way to aid creativity. You might start to notice that you work best in the morning hours, so having a quick nap might be the best way to stay really creative throughout the whole duration of the working day.
Stop Snack Cravings
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If you snack throughout the entire day, it actually has the opposite effect to what you would think and tends to make us feel more sleepy and lethargic. By taking a nap you can actually battle snack cravings and wont find yourself reaching for a pick me up.
Feel Happier
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By taking an afternoon nap, not only will you look forward to some peace and quiet, you will also feel a tonne happier after you wake up from your sleep. This is the best way to boost office morale and your colleagues and friends will definitely thank you for it.
Flush Waste From Your Brain
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You brain absorbs so much information during the course of just one day, and not all of it is needed. By taking a nap you can effectively flush out all of the information you don't need to retain, which will improve your learning ability and memory skills.
Get Some Peace
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Getting a little peace and quiet is just what the doctor ordered sometimes, and taking yourself away somewhere for a short nap is the best way to get out of the hussle and bussle of the work day. This is great for your mental health and something we should all do every so often.
Heart Health
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You heart rate drops significantly when you are sleeping, especially when compared to how stressed we can become during the day. Having a nap drops the heart rate right down and will leave it lower throughout the rest of your afternoon and evening. Less stress = more productivity!
Quit Smoking
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Taking a nap at work when you feel like you need to smoke is a good way to help kick the habit. By deciding to go for a nap when you would normally go on a smoke break, your health will improve not only because you get more sleep but also because you are quitting something unhealthy.
Better Vocabulary
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Many studies suggest that after a nap we effectively unlock a part of our brain that we don't normally use at work. If we do, it tends to be reserved for the morning activities. By taking a nap you might notice that those work emails begin to sound a little less monotonous.
Memory Boost
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Your brain takes in everything you sense, so it of course takes in a lot of useless information during the day. By having a nap you will effectively expel some stuff you don't need quicker, which leaves your memory more freed up to remember more important things.
Higher Testosterone Levels
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For men, taking a mid work nap will actually boost testosterone levels. This can increase confidence, decision making and also helps out if you are trying for a baby. Who knew that an afternoon nap would affect the chemicals in our body as well as our mind?
Keeps You Tidy
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You might be likely to notice that after your afternoon nap you go and clean up where you normally work from. This is because having a daily siesta is good for us, so your brain wants to pair this good habit with more good habits to make the most from the day.
Fewer Accidents
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After a sleep you will be more alert, which means you will be paying a little more attention. This hopefully should result in fewer mistakes which could lead to nasty accidents. With the risk of injury dropping, a nap surely has to be something that more companies implement?
Lower Anxiety
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Being at work makes a lot of people feel anxious. However after a nap the levels of anxiety drop dramatically and we feel good once again. This is one of the best ways to manage anxiety and many people have felt a difference even after just 20 minutes of sleep.
Less Arguments
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We all get a little cranky sometimes, so taking a little time to yourself for a nap is a great way to help combat this. After you bring napping into your daily routine you might actually begin to notice how irritable people become simply because they are tired.
Better Handling Of Depression
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If you already suffer with depression then taking a nap is a good way to manage this. Sometimes it can feel like staying in bed is the only option, but taking a nap gives us a deadline as to when we need to be up. This motivates us to get up and carry on with the day.
Improved Driving?
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On the way home from work, the rush hour traffic can be horrendous. People seem to make rash decisions in order to save a few car lengths and get home 30 seconds faster. Taking a nap would reduce stress levels, making for a safer drive home from work.
Fight Chronic Illness
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A chronic illness can really come out of the blue, but by increasing the amount of time we spend sleeping, we can reduce the risk of being hit by one. Sleep helps the body to naturally restore and refresh itself, which results in you being fitter and healthier!
Reduced Mental Disorders
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There are a myriad of mental disorders which can affect anyone over the course of their lifetime. Studies have shown that taking a nap during the work day gives our brain time to decompress, which in turn results in a lower chance of developing a mental illness.
Limited Mistakes
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Everyone is likely to make a mistake when they are tired. Try driving for 5 or 6 hours and see how it progressively becomes worse and worse. Mistakes happen, but a nap at lunch or 3pm can help to limit them and even eliminate mistakes completely from the work day!
Not As Sleepy
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This may sound obvious, but getting a little more sleep makes you not as sleepy. Sometimes you might just sleep poorly, or maybe it is too hot or cold to get a decent rest. A nap will help to bridge the gap and ensures you don't get too sleepy during the day.
Makes Us Nicer
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Sometimes it does sound harsh, but getting away from people and telling them you need a little space can be the best for everyone. By taking the time away and having a nap, you will actually come back to work more positive and feeling nicer overall which will make for much better team work.
Self Control
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A nap actually improves your self control more than you might imagine. Waking up for work is difficult, especially when you feel super tired. You will not have to basically do this twice, but over time it becomes easier to get over the mental hurdle.
Prevents Burnout
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Burn out is the term given when you essentially just run out of steam. It happens to pretty much everyone at one stage or another, and managing it can be difficult as you need to know when to chill out with work. A nap a day can really reduce the risks of burn out.
Reduced Blood Pressure
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Taking the time to nap out of your day is one of the best ways we can relax and reset at work. This time to relax drops your blood pressure, which is good for your health in general. Doing this now will pay dividends for your heart health in your later years!
Strong Immune System
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A strong immune system is crucial in keeping you feeling well and fighting off sickness and illness. Napping when you feel tired is a great way for your body to restore itself, which in turn gives your immune system time to recover and regenerate any losses.
Wont Over Eat
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Reports have found that being tired has a direct link to being hungry, so if you go home fleeing slightly more well rested, then you are less likely to eat junk food or over eat. This is yet another positive knock on side effect of a good nap at work.