Skip the Coffee, Power-Nap for 20 Minutes to Combat Afternoon Fatigue
It's about 2:30 p.m. here in the Eastern time zone -- right about the time my energy starts flagging. Normally I'd head for the coffee machine, but a group of scientists says I'm better off with a 20-minute nap. That's the conclusion of a recent study that pitted naps against an extra 90 minutes in bed and 150mg of caffeine:
...The 20-minute afternoon nap proved the most effective at combating sleepiness later in the day; although a long lie-in in the morning and the caffeine also reduced afternoon sleepiness, they did so less effectively than the 20-minute nap.Okay, just one problem: Most of us don't have beds near our desks. And bosses, well, they seem to frown on the whole sleeping-on-the-job thing. You could always build a secret bed under your desk, but that doesn't work unless your name is Costanza. So here's the question: Is taking a 20-minute afternoon nap even possible for you, or are you stuck with the caffeine monkey? Photo by Dave Morris. [Via Ars Technica]