As much as I wish that I could say that I’m able to be at peak performance all day, you know that would be a bold faced lie. We’ve all been there, it’s a couple hours after lunch, you still have a few hours left of client meetings until that sweet sweet time where you get to head home,. Then before you know it, it’s quitting time! Time to get started on your side project! Your true passion! That thing that you eventually want to do for a living, your path to financial freedom!!!….and once your butt hits that couch you’re out of gas, no work gets done, you push off the side business for another day…and another….and another…
This is where the “Caffeine Nap” (or “Stimulant Nap”) comes in to save the day! The afternoon slump is rough, especially for those trying to fit in side projects after their 9 to 5. In the past I’ve tried 15min power naps, but many times I’ll hit that snooze button a couple too many times and POW!, it’s bed time. I’ve tried a ton of coffee, but that still leaves me a bit drained. What if you combine the two, now you end up with a crazy powerful tool to recharge your batteries so you can still be on point until bed time.
Caffeine Nap Method
The general idea here is to consume a moderate dosage of caffeine then take a short nap, that way the caffeine kicks in right when you’re supposed to be waking up:
- Right before you lay down to take your nap, consume a dosage of caffeine (It can be a cup of coffee, an espresso, or I like to drink a cup of Yerba Mate or take 100mg of a caffeine tablet.
- Set an alarm for 15-20min, lay down for your nap and just relax. You’re going for effective microsleep (ie. a momentary lapse of wakefulness).
- When your alarm goes off, get up right away. You don’t want your brain to spin down too much since you want to get up without that grogginess.
That’s it! There’s even even some non-bro-science around it’s effectiveness. Studies have shown that combining a short nap with caffeine was more effective in improving alertness than either was alone. As well as brief naps being more effective at improving alertness than long naps.
Now this isn’t something that I recommend you do every day, In fact on most days I try to stay away from caffeine in the evening so you can get a solid night’s sleep. But for those days where you just really need that extra little edge to hit that milestone in your side-project, or if you want to do something active after work with your significant other and you’re fading, it’s perfect.