Coffee sounds like an energized drink that somehow helps to awaken and freshen the brain and boost their energy during noontime. However, there is still a doubt spinning around whether the coffee could go well with naps. Some of those who consume coffee are concerned over the limitation. It will effect on whether they will be able to nap or sleep after drinking cups of coffee or not.
There is also a belief that coffee and sleep do not go along together. But as the study shows that coffee does not really affect your sleeping or napping routine at all. But still some people argue the fact that they are struggling to nap or sleep after having coffee.
No further doubt, this article will be going to talk about coffee and naps. Whether they could go hand in hand or not.
Coffee does have its side effects since caffeine is strong that could lead to heart attack or heart disease. If you do not carefully take it into consideration. Everything has its side effect, yet caffeine does not alone hold all the bad. It does have its point of being a so-called energized latte.
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The Scientific Proof Behind the Coffee Nap
Coffee contains caffeine that it will be absorbed through that small intestine and pass on to the bloodstream that will dissolve the water and fats contained in that caffeine. And for that, the properties are causing the caffeine to affect the blood-brain barrier and enter your brain. But by doing that, it also needs to go against and compete with adenosine, the nucleoside building blocks to DNA and RNA.
Once caffeine enters the brain cell, it will be acting as a protein to adenosine in a large quantity that is making the body tired. So then, when you want to clear adenosine, nap is the only solution. A 20 minutes nap will be doing its work to clear the adenosine and stopping the competition of caffeine to find its way into the brain cell receptors.
Studies Show the Effectiveness of Coffee Naps
The research has shown that the coffee nap is more effective to most people than coffee or nap alone. They conducted the research on a scale of 12 individuals who consumed 200mg of caffeine and took a 15-minute-nap before putting them into a driving simulator have shown more productivity rather than sleepiness compared to those who did not consume any caffeine.
Another research on coffee and nap conducted on 10 young individuals with computer tasks have shown the improvement of their performances with computer tasks more effectively than just a nap alone.
In the other research as a counteracting of drivers’ sleepiness, caffeine was found more helpful against drowsiness for sleepy drivers when they consume 150mg of caffeine before taking a short 15-minute-nap, which helps to lessen their sleepiness for their 2 hours drive.
These studies have somehow defined that consuming caffeine before would help fight against the sleepiness and drowsiness and helps to improve their productivity in completing their tasks safely.
Duration of Coffee Nap
Even the studies have shown success about coffee naps, but remember the fact that timing is also as important as the amount of caffeine you take, if you want your coffee nap to play its role. You better take a nap after taking caffeine for about 15 to 20 minutes so that the caffeine and nap are balanced.
Do not take a longer nap or else it will not be effective as you expected. The presence of more stimulants enhance more productivity for the rest of your day, that is why you should not nap more than 20 minutes after consuming caffeine. That’s because if you were to wake up from a deep-more than 20 minutes nap, you will be feeling unsteady and the grogginess will kick start your brain.
The ineffectiveness of coffee nap begins and you will be in a state of sleep inertia, unsteady yet dazy. So, if you nap and wake up before entering the deep-sleep stage, you will be waking up feeling refreshed, not groggy, which is why timing is an important factor here.
How to Take a Coffee Nap
Do not sip because it will slow your timing of coffee nap before you manage to finish your coffee. If possible avoid hot, drink cold and you may also want to avoid high sugar, cream or milk so better go with espresso or black coffee, it is more effective.
However, if you are not a fan of black coffee or espresso. You can find some other caffeinated beverages like tea, soda and/or energy drinks. But you need to ensure to meet the amount required of caffeine so that it could kick off the effectiveness of coffee nap.
Also, find yourself your preferred spot to relax for your coffee nap with your comfortable position for napping, so you will not feel achy or tired after your 20 minutes coffee nap. These are the complementary factors that you should take into account when you decide to have a coffee nap.
Best Timing for Coffee Nap
Surely not in the morning, you drink coffee in the morning with the purpose to only boost your energy and awaken your morning brain to start your day. Though, coffee nap is designed best for a midday energy boost, because that is the time you would be feeling tired from the morning work and seek to continue your afternoon work more effectively.
Otherwise, you can also try a coffee nap before your bedtime, which means you should only consume coffee at least 6 hours before you go to bed.
Why Do Coffee Naps Work So Well?
Observing the facts without proof is not convincing at all. Here is why scientists have proved by observing the effectiveness of coffee nap based on the behavioural and cognitive count. The result shows more productivity than coffee or nap alone.
Some countries also conducted research to show the effectiveness of coffee naps as well such as the UK studies have shown that the 15 minutes coffee nap works best on driving simulator tests. In Japan, the tests scored higher for memory tests after a coffee nap, and the subjects also claimed to feel less tired after taking a coffee nap. To practice coffee naps more effectively, you better find a quiet and peaceful spot and nap for your best.
Many people may question whether they should trust this coffee nap technique or not. What if the coffee nap does not guarantee its effectiveness and twists out the bad mood after nap? So, question it all you want, below will tell you why you should try this technique. And yes, identify the loss and gain, and try it out for better results.
Should You Take a Coffee Nap?
If you favor and are interested in coffee naps, just remember the type of your coffee and amount of coffee you drink. The amount of caffeine used in the study research is approximately 2 cups of coffee. However, it does not mean that you need to take the same amount as the study.
As long as you are comfortable with your preferred coffee and the amount of caffeine you can handle then it would work already. Also, keep in mind that if you want your coffee nap to reach the effectiveness of your satisfaction, you should not add sugar, cream or milk because it could decrease the effectiveness of your coffee nap, black coffee and espresso are highly recommended.
These above-mentioned are not to convince people to consume caffeine for a better nap. It’s just for people who seek a short nap to boost their afternoon energy for their work. On the other hand, the out-amount of caffeine consumed can cause restlessness, anxiety, and trembling in your heart. This can be found in some people who cannot handle high levels of caffeine. So, you really would not want to drink coffee before nighttime because this is not really recommended if you want a very good night’s sleep.
Scientifically, coffee also gives health benefits as well. Here are the brief points of health benefits of coffee.
Coffee helps burn fats
Caffeine can be usually found in some other fat-burning supplements. Because caffeine is a substance that is proven to be supportive in fat burning as much as 10 percent of obese individual and 29 percent of normal people. Other studies also showed the advantages of caffeine in boosting metabolism rate by 3-11 percent. But drink moderately shall be remembered.
May Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition of health that has been affecting million of people worldwide. And it is found that caffeine can be a factor to reduce the risk of having this disease. People who drink the most coffee have a lower risk of facing the disease. The studies have shown the association of 7% of risk reduction. This type 2 diabetes by consuming a cup of coffee regularly.
Can Fight Depression and Make You Happier
This might sound ridiculous but that is how effective the caffeine is to help your mood swing happier. Depression is not a joke, 4.1% of the people in the US have been facing clinical depression. Coffee actually helps to make you feel more relieved than you actually are, it helps to boost your productive mood and helps lessen the pressure.
Sum Up
Coffee can really go hand in hand with a nap. Coffee nap, in short, does a lot of their work to help in enhancing the quality of work. Especially during their noon period. Though caffeine does have its side effects, drinking moderately would not harm a thing. That is why you should also hydrate yourself and do not only depend on coffee alone.
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