What’s a Coffee Nap?
Taking a coffee nap involves drinking a cup of coffee or something else caffeinated and them immediately taking a 20 minute power nap.
You’re probably thinking to yourself that this sounds illogical, right? Caffeine is going to interfere with the quality of your sleep.
Actually, caffeine takes about 20 minutes to really kick in in your system, so by immediately taking a power nap right after you drink that cup of coffee, you actually gain the benefits of both a nap and a cup of coffee.
Essentially, as you go through the day, your brain generates a chemical called adenosine which builds up the desire to sleep.
Obviously, once you take a nap, your brain is going to clear out some of that adenosine by sleeping. That process is going to help you feel more energized and get rid of those feelings of fatigue.
Caffeine molecules are actually very similar in structure to adenosine molecules. They help block those adenosine receptors, preventing the actual adenosine molecules from plugging into them and making you feel tired.
You get the best of both worlds. The nap clears out the adenosine that’s already there, and the caffeine prevents more from plugging into those receptors, making you feel more alert.
A word of caution. if you are gonna try this technique, you do need to be careful about building up a dependence to caffeine. If you are going to try taking a coffee nap, take it easy on the coffee in the earlier part of the day.