Power Naps and sleeping on the job

41 replies
I learned about this back in the 80's and loved the idea so much, I do it every day and have been for 20+ years.

it was relayed to me that W Clement Stone, back when he sold insurnce door to door, did this :

In the AM he would prospect, and in the afternoon he would nap with his mind set on making it a 2nd day in the afternoon (esp. good if the AM went poorly)

what I do is go to sleep with something in mind so I wake up refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle what I'm focused on.

1. start with the breath (25 deep breaths) letting go of the Am.
2. what specific choice/goal/challenge/etc.., do I want to focus on when I wake?
3. upon waking up you will instantly (with practice) wake, to what your focused on.

W. Clement Stone once stated, "Regardless of what you are or what you have been, you can still become what you may want to be."

W. Clement Stone founded a multibillion-dollar insurance empire with $100 and sought to buck up the world with the idea that anyone might do the same-all they need is "positive mental attitude.

Worked with Napoleon Hill


One of his great successes was the famed Og Mandino, an alcoholic at the time whom Stone took under his wing. The relationship engendered a new life for Mandino who became the publisher of Success Magazine at the time.
#job #naps #power #sleeping
  • Profile picture of the author poath
    I have real trouble with napping because I can't seem to wake up afterwards, did you have the same problem?
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    • no. when are you napping and for how long?

      there is a window of time that is best and you don't want to be in a certain sleep cycle when you wake up.

      check out this researcher and the "nap wheel", go to :

      Dr. Sara Mednick | Take a Nap

      also, have you experienced just nodding off for a few minutes and felt refreshed?
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      • Profile picture of the author poath
        Originally Posted by kirbymarketingconcierge View Post

        no. when are you napping and for how long?

        there is a window of time that is best and you don't want to be in a certain sleep cycle when you wake up.

        check out this researcher and the "nap wheel", go to :

        Dr. Sara Mednick | Take a Nap

        also, have you experienced just nodding off for a few minutes and felt refreshed?
        Not really, when I nod off I just feel like sleeping more. I normally nap for about 20 minutes. I even tried the physical wake up where you hold something while napping and when you drop it (because you are just entering deeper sleep) it wakes you up.
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  • Profile picture of the author OscarTheDog
    Good topic. I "nap" frequently. I don't think you want to go into REM sleep, just a 'cat nap", say, no more than 20 min tops. I don't do it daily at the office, but maybe once a month or so..after a stressful morning, just like you said. It works. Maybe i should make it a habit. never thought of that.
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    • Originally Posted by DesignURLife View Post

      Good topic. I "nap" frequently. I don't think you want to go into REM sleep, just a 'cat nap", say, no more than 20 min tops. I don't do it daily at the office, but maybe once a month or so..after a stressful morning, just like you said. It works. Maybe i should make it a habit. never thought of that.
      read the latest research and you will find you can sleep longer, just don't wake in the wrong cycle.

      after I do a heavy workout, I nap from 20-90 minutes.

      read the above researchers work (Sara Mednick).
      90 minutes at the right time of day and you effect your testosterone level.
      research article : http://www.thetechherald.com/article...ve-performance

      Research :

      One study of 23,681 individuals who were free from coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer was followed for 6.32 years. After analyzing the frequency and duration of daily naps the subjects who reported occasional napping had 12% lower coronary deaths, whereas those systematically napping at 37% lower mortality1.
      Midday napping (siesta) is common in populations with lower coronary mortality but this is one of the first studies to show a strong relationship with this behavior and long term health (after controlling for physical activity, diet and other factors). Maybe we should do a better job of just listening to our body after all.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joan Haynes
    This is something I do when I am stressed & it makes a big difference...I am able to return back to my work refreshed & ready to do what I must do...it works. I want to do it more often.

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    • One study showed that even a 6 minute nap improves memory function.

      other studies show a 10 minute nap works well.

      I have 1 song I listen to that is 4:59 and gives me appx. 25 deep breaths. and I can nap that way if I need it.

      hopefully, for those that want to try, won't think "they have no time".
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Shelton
    Napping definitely can be very beneficial. One thing I've found that helps me is to decide on how long the nap is going to be and put on a timer to wake me up - the reason is that if I sleep too long then I feel groggy and it takes a while to get back up to speed again, but a shorter, planned nap can work wonders.
    Btw Kirby, really cool info about Og Mandino - didn't know that!
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  • Profile picture of the author InfinetADs
    Naps are only worth it for me if i can sleep for 2-3 hours. Little power naps just tease me.
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    • Originally Posted by InfinetADs View Post

      Naps are only worth it for me if i can sleep for 2-3 hours. Little power naps just tease me.
      you might want to check out Sara Mednick's work on that.

      she tested 2-3 hour napping.

      I do it on weekends after a heavy workout.
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  • Profile picture of the author Illuminart
    In my case, I don't get enough sleep since I'm way too busy with my IM ventures. That's the downside of internet marketing sometimes, your health gets compromised.
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  • Profile picture of the author KevinRichardsonMD
    Remember, all of our brains are wired differently! Don't fret if something that worked for someone else doesn't work for you. Furthermore, don't be alarmed if something that did not work for someone else works for you!

    Our physiology is unique by design.
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    • Originally Posted by KevinRichardsonMD View Post

      Remember, all of our brains are wired differently! Don't fret if something that worked for someone else doesn't work for you. Furthermore, don't be alarmed if something that did not work for someone else works for you!

      Our physiology is unique by design.
      great point Doc!

      that is why I know 20 minutes is not "1 size fits all".

      I have experimented with myself. From different times, under different circumstances, etc...,, to find what works for me.

      I hope others can do the same since the goal is for more energy, and better health.
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  • Profile picture of the author WakondaMarketing
    Sad to say, Nap or 8-hour sleep is out of my vocabulary. Ahhh! Life of an IM indeed.
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    • Originally Posted by WakondaMarketing View Post

      Sad to say, Nap or 8-hour sleep is out of my vocabulary. Ahhh! Life of an IM indeed.
      Thats a crucial point I think. How to handle 24/7.

      With the advent of the internet, global communications, and the ability to work anywhere/anytime, napping is a reasonable response to handle the stressors.

      There is research out there about Shift Work and Naps being productive.
      I also read about not getting 8 hours and how to use naps.
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  • Profile picture of the author evelynholman
    i am doing that when i am really tired....
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I have insomnia so I sleep when I can and work when I can. **** life but that's how I cope and I also sleep in a recliner due to nerve damage and chronic pain in my neck.
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    • Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      I have insomnia so I sleep when I can and work when I can. **** life but that's how I cope and I also sleep in a recliner due to nerve damage and chronic pain in my neck.
      ouch! sorry to hear that.

      let me ask you something.

      sounds like you nod on and off.

      have you noticed short naps (and you short sleeps) give you more energy, lees pain, other benefits:

      with different times you sleep?
      length of time?
      on coffee?
      on alcohol?
      on medication?

      what is your experience.
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  • Profile picture of the author JF Garsula
    Power naps are great to refresh our minds. On my own experience, I use it to improve my creativity when designing is not flowing. Either way, if I want to shift to developing, I usually do power naps. Along with the nap, I listen to hypnosis audios.
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    • Originally Posted by zaf101 View Post

      Power naps are great to refresh our minds. On my own experience, I use it to improve my creativity when designing is not flowing. Either way, if I want to shift to developing, I usually do power naps. Along with the nap, I listen to hypnosis audios.
      that is cool.

      I am going to work on that because I noticed my most creative time is when i wake up.
      after my naps, i feel slow mentally.

      if I practice maybe I can do what you do.
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      • just remembered.

        the noted philospher Rene Descartes, who penned the phrase " I think therefore I Am" used to have his best thoughts and ideas when he woke up.

        maybe after sleep and after naps we are at "our best" ?

        refreshed, no past (waking up so no time to look back), energized, see things anew or differently.

        I did read of some research that our dreams are a way to help find solutions to our awake lives.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    ouch! sorry to hear that.
    let me ask you something.
    sounds like you nod on and off.
    have you noticed short naps (and you short sleeps) give you more energy, lees pain, other benefits:

    with different times you sleep?
    length of time?
    on coffee?
    on alcohol?
    on medication?

    what is your experience.
    Well, I don't drink coffee or alcohol so those are out.
    I am on a bucket load of different medications and they have some different side effects. My nap lengths vary and sometimes I feel refreshed and other times I feel groggy. I often wake in more pain than when I went to sleep.

    I often do my writing at 3am, (which it is right now actually) because I am awake and it helps tire me out a little so I can sleep again.

    I would love to find a way to sleep in my bed. I am going to see a bed specialist to see what ideas they have.
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  • Profile picture of the author apolwar
    I'm afraid napping doesn't work for me. If I get like ten minutes to sleep, I would probably wake up about an hour or so after. That's bad for business.
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  • Profile picture of the author maile15
    I would love to do that but this is not working for me. Napping after work would make me sleep the whole night and during the work would it be quite embarrising. If you think of sleeping in your break, all your colleauges there... ehh No! Any suggestions where do make it?
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    • Originally Posted by maile15 View Post

      I would love to do that but this is not working for me. Napping after work would make me sleep the whole night and during the work would it be quite embarrising. If you think of sleeping in your break, all your colleauges there... ehh No! Any suggestions where do make it?
      I have slept under the desk. In the closet. In my Car.
      google "napping and work performance" and show it at work. would be hard for fellow co-workers to be negative.

      latest research (and I have done this many times when I need rest) is to nap and allow a 3 hour window before you go to bed.

      you really have to try things yourself and see what can work.

      information out there that "you can't nap after 4pm because it disrupts your nighttime sleep). That is wrong for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chrismiksen
    I also find it difficult to wake up afterward, although I know that's because it's difficult for me to nap for only 20 minutes. I have an incredibly difficult time actually getting to sleep, so it's tough to gauge when I should set my alarm so that I only nap for 20 min.
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    • Originally Posted by Chrismiksen View Post

      I also find it difficult to wake up afterward, although I know that's because it's difficult for me to nap for only 20 minutes. I have an incredibly difficult time actually getting to sleep, so it's tough to gauge when I should set my alarm so that I only nap for 20 min.
      I wish I had an answer for you.

      what the Doc said in an earlier post, that it's personal.

      I sleep and nap well when I work out. don't have insomnia or a medical condition.

      my hope is you keep trying, keep testing yourself to see what may work for you.
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      • Profile picture of the author Chrismiksen
        Originally Posted by kirbymarketingconcierge View Post

        I wish I had an answer for you.

        what the Doc said in an earlier post, that it's personal.

        I sleep and nap well when I work out. don't have insomnia or a medical condition.

        my hope is you keep trying, keep testing yourself to see what may work for you.
        Working out may help do the trick. I'll know soon, as I'm starting a workout plan next week. As long as procrastination doesn't rear its ugly head.
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        • Originally Posted by Chrismiksen View Post

          Working out may help do the trick. I'll know soon, as I'm starting a workout plan next week. As long as procrastination doesn't rear its ugly head.
          Can I lecture?

          the truth : human beings MUST be active.

          Research (you can google this) :

          Back Pain patients respond better to exercise than passive post operative rest.
          Very Healthy people are effected, and is not good, to sit for long periods of time.
          There is no other known human endeavor that has the amount of benefits for the Mind, Body, & Soul than being active.

          If I was to train you the 1st thing I would do is get you addicted (in a positive way)
          cardio - small steps to create the habit
          5-20 minutes at 70-80% aerobic capacity and become aware of the adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin in your brain / the relaxation response in your muscles / how sleep that night / your energy level the next morning / etc.. do 3-4 times a week for 3 weeks and feel the benefits and that will keep you wanting more, guaranteed.

          why do think Starbucks does so well? caffeine is a drug

          P.S.- I have worked out 40+ years, have a psyche degree, and have personally experimented with my own body. I am an Exercise Addict And, it's all good so I hope you can make the decision, commit, and follow through long enough to see the results.
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          • Profile picture of the author Chrismiksen
            Originally Posted by kirbymarketingconcierge View Post

            Can I lecture?

            the truth : human beings MUST be active.

            Research (you can google this) :

            Back Pain patients respond better to exercise than passive post operative rest.
            Very Healthy people are effected, and is not good, to sit for long periods of time.
            There is no other known human endeavor that has the amount of benefits for the Mind, Body, & Soul than being active.

            If I was to train you the 1st thing I would do is get you addicted (in a positive way)
            cardio - small steps to create the habit
            5-20 minutes at 70-80% aerobic capacity and become aware of the adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin in your brain / the relaxation response in your muscles / how sleep that night / your energy level the next morning / etc.. do 3-4 times a week for 3 weeks and feel the benefits and that will keep you wanting more, guaranteed.

            why do think Starbucks does so well? caffeine is a drug

            P.S.- I have worked out 40+ years, have a psyche degree, and have personally experimented with my own body. I am an Exercise Addict And, it's all good so I hope you can make the decision, commit, and follow through long enough to see the results.
            It's funny, because I was really big into working out about a year ago. And then it all went downhill. The hardest part is getting started. I felt 10 times better working out than sitting out and doing nothing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Kenny
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    • Originally Posted by Robert Kenny View Post

      Nice topic. I am insomiac and i often i nap at day. I can't control myself when i want to nap.
      go NLP on yourself.

      your a tiger, mountain lion, cougar, or bobcat.

      you sleep alot so when your awake your focused!
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      • Profile picture of the author lyndal
        I often find that just altering my brainwave state whether it is through a short nap or meditation helps shift my energy. Sometimes I have even combined the two, sort of like a medinap. I meditate, then I allow myself to go into a short nap. I also use my ipod to help with the relaxation and to time it.
        The only times that I steer clear of this practice is when I am not at home and busy or if I have to go to bed early that night and have to get up early. If I napped before I would have a bad case of insomnia that night. No nap, sleep comes easliy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aviator Joe
    sounds cool, will definitely try this nap thing myself
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  • I heard this power nap advice from a radio talk show host a while back:

    When you take a nap, keep a ball or some unbreakable object in your hand. As you begin to doze off, your grip on the ball will loosen. When the ball falls from your hand to the floor, it's time to wake up.

    It's like a crude, biological nap timer.

    It seems to work. At first, I worried that I wouldn't sleep because of gripping the ball. I tried it anyway and wasn't groggy and liked the way I felt when I woke.

    - Matt
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    • Famous Nappers -- Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill.

      Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, looked at the benefits of napping. And they also suggest that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep enhances creative problem-solving.
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  • Profile picture of the author synergyxtr
    i agree power naps revitalizes the brain and body. good thing our office has a dedicated sleeping room.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chrismiksen
    I forgot to mention this. I live in Kentucky, right near a huge Toyota plant. Back in the day, they had what were essentially pods for workers to take a quick 20-30 minute nap in. I'm not sure if that's still the case today, as management techniques and so forth may have changed, but it is interesting.
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    • Originally Posted by Chrismiksen View Post

      I forgot to mention this. I live in Kentucky, right near a huge Toyota plant. Back in the day, they had what were essentially pods for workers to take a quick 20-30 minute nap in. I'm not sure if that's still the case today, as management techniques and so forth may have changed, but it is interesting.
      I love that.

      I heard toyota had good management.

      thanks for sharing.
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  • Profile picture of the author bonnerkareem69
    Power naps and sleeping on the job is actually a bad habit.
    It gives you relax but it creates a negative energy in the company.
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    • Originally Posted by bonnerkareem69 View Post

      Power naps and sleeping on the job is actually a bad habit.
      It gives you relax but it creates a negative energy in the company.

      I have always worked hard, exercised hard and needed naps.

      Top producer at every sales department, so the positive was, I bought in revenue.
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