Napping is one of the best, most underused tools for busy people. It is frowned upon by many people and is viewing as something for the elderly and children. Mention napping and you could be seen as lazy, depressed and unwilling to work. The majority of people experience drowsiness in the afternoon and notice their productivity and mood starting to slip and napping will help combat this. It is completely natural and helps to fight the affects of fatigue such as burnout, stress and a lack of mental clarity.

Even though there seems to be a taboo on napping, there have been many famous nappers who swear by the midday snooze to keep them awake and alert. Famous nappers have included Richard Branson, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Winston Churchill and Leonardo da Vinci. No one can claim that these people didn't achieve anything and spent all day napping.

Research on napping is constantly showing positive effects. The results suggest that napping can make you more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning compared to working all day without rest. A mid-afternoon sleep means that productivity can last long into the night. Researchers at NASA showed that a 30-minute power nap increased cognitive functioning by 40%. The volunteers on the tests found that their memory improved as well as experiencing an increase in concentration. Those who didn't nap would score lower on IQ test than those that did （after a day of work）.

If you feel a slump in the afternoon and from then on don't perform at your best, I recommend taking a short power nap to get yourself feeling alert and ready for work. You will feel rested and you'll notice your mood and alertness improve. I advise keeping the nap between 15 and 30 minutes as you want to avoid getting into deeper stages of sleep. If you do, you'll find it harder to wake and may experience the groggy feeling for a while.

For those who are worried about the after affect of a nap, there is the caffeine nap. A caffeine nap is taken after an intake of caffeine, so that you are asleep while your body digests the caffeine. After a 15-30 minute nap, you wake up and instantly have the caffeine in your system. This is great if you instantly need to be on the move after a nap, and you can bounce out of your sleeping state and jump into work feeling refreshed and energised.

Finding 15-30 minutes in a day can sometimes seem difficult, but doing so could mean a great deal to your productivity. Even 10 minutes a day will be better than nothing at all, and may give you the energy you need to be successful. If you're willing to give it a try, make sure you can find a comfortable place （both physically and mentally） before setting your head down. If you can feel secure and let go, then you're rest will be even more beneficial.

A lot of people who wish to start their own businesses but are currently working 9-5 will benefit from a nap. The majority of the work on their own business will be done after 5pm and it is hard to stay enthusiastic and inspired at this time. Taking a nap during a break at work or just after finishing work could effectively increase your concentration levels and allow you to keep working, allowing you to further your own business after the 9-5 grind.

Try this for a few days and see if you see the benefits. I did, and now I'm off for a nap!

对繁忙的人来说，小睡是最好缓解疲劳的方法，但也是最不为重视的办法。很多人对此都不赞成并视之为老年人和儿童的事。如果你对小睡津津乐道你可能会被视为懒惰，懈怠并不勤于工作。大部分人在下午都会感到睡意且意识到他们的工作效率和情绪都有所下降，小睡能帮助他们缓解。这是非常正常的，而且有助于抵抗疲劳所产生的后果比如劳累，压力和精神低落。

尽管对小睡似乎有些禁忌，但也有很多着名的瞌睡虫依赖小睡来保持清醒和精神，这些着名的瞌睡虫包括Richard Branson, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Winston Churchill and Leonardo da Vinci.没有人敢说这些人毫无建树整日酣睡。

研究结果也显示了小睡的有效成果，结果显示比起整天工作来说小睡能让人保持清醒，减少压力，提升认知机能。下午的小睡能使人保持工作状态到夜晚。NASA的研究员表明30分钟的充分睡眠能提升认知机能40%.测试的志愿者发现他们的记忆力和注意力都有所提高。那些没有小睡的人在IQ测试中得分比那些小睡过的人高（经历了一天的工作）.

如果你到了下午觉得精神疲倦并不能保持最佳状态，我建议你打个小盹来让自己保持精力充沛做好工作准备。你会感到充分休息情绪和敏锐度提高。我建议小睡时间保持在15-30分钟之间避免进入深度睡眠，一旦你进入深度睡眠，你会发现很难醒过来，而且醒来之后会有段时间脑袋昏昏沉沉。

对那些担心小睡副作用的人来说，有一种叫咖啡因小睡的。咖啡因小睡是在服过咖啡因之后小睡，这样你在睡觉的同时你的身体在消化咖啡因。经过15-30分钟的午睡之后，你醒过来，此时咖啡因在你的身体里了。如果你需要在瞌睡之后马上清醒，这是很好的方法，你可以马上从睡眠中醒来精神百倍地投入工作。

每天腾出15-0分钟来有时候有些困难，但是这对你的工作效率很有帮助，即便是每天10分钟都很有帮助，会给你成功所需要的精力。如果你愿意尝试，在睡下去之前首先确保你能找到一个舒适的午休地方，（身体和精神上）如果你能感到安全，放松，你的休息会带来更多的好处。

很多人目前做着朝九晚五工作同时希望自己创业的人会从小睡中受益。他们自己事业的大部分工作都在5点之后完成，而这段时间很难保持工作热情。在工作休息时间睡个午觉或哪怕在工作结束之后打个盹都能有效提升你的注意力水平让你继续工作，让你在朝九晚五的工作重压之后仍能继续自己的事业。

花几天时间来试一下看你是不是能从午休中有所收获，对我而言是有益的-我这就去眯一会儿了！