For most of us a siesta is a luxury. In today’s fast-paced world when it has become difficult even to take a proper full night sleep, a siesta seems to be a far-fetched dream.
But it has been proved that a siesta helps us to become more alert and increase our concentration to great heights.
Winston Churchill first coined the term "power nap", claiming that a daily afternoon sleep brought him the clarity of thinking he needed for wartime victory. "You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner, and no halfway measures," he insisted.
Margaret Thatcher famously ordered her aides not to disturb her between 2.30 and 3.30pm, so she could snooze; Bill Clinton did the same each day at 3pm. Other illustrious nappers include Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Johannes Brahms.
Benefits of the 10-20 minute nap:
- More energy
- Improve productivity by over 30%
- Improve alertness by up to 100%
- Reduce stress and the risk of heart disease by 34%
- Better negotiation and communication
- Reduce risk of accidents at work and on the road
- Happiness and well being