How to Nap During Your Lunch Break

There are certain benefits of catching a quick nap during your lunch break at work. Sometimes resting for just 10 or 15 minutes can have a significant impact on your performance for the rest of the afternoon. This is especially true for those who were up late the night before, or who are working long days.

In fact, a power nap - one typically as short as 10-15 minutes - has been studied and proven to work. Longer naps that exceed 30 minutes are not nearly as good for mid-day rests since they cause a person to enter the full sleep mode that, when interrupted, causes people to feel groggy for some time.

A quick nap can help a person to reduce stress and clear his head. In addition, if you are trying to lose a pound or two, getting rest and reducing stress is an important component.

The good news is that there are options for people looking to saw a few logs during the day. You just have to be willing to devote the time to make it happen. Give a quick nap a try when you are especially tires and see what difference it makes for your afternoon.

Before you head to a quiet spot to lay low, consider having these items handy, as they will prove to be valuable.

Make sure you have an alarm of some kind. A watch with an alarm will do, but a cell phone is the most likely thing you will have around today and it works great. You don't want to oversleep and miss your next meeting.

Music is also a great option and will help to drown out other noises that may distract you from your slumber. Whether it's a phone, an iPod, or some other type of device, a small portable music player with headphones is ideal. While a portable device is one of the great things to have in your car when napping, you can use the car radio if that is your quiet spot.

Here are the best places to consider for your power nap.

Try the park on a nice summer day. You might find a nice grassy area to lay down in or even a park bench. Some parks also have comfortable chairs that will allow you to sit back and rest. In a park, you can get some rest and some sun at the same time.

Your car is a fine napping location when in a pinch, as long as it's not to hot or too cold outside. Here you can even use the car's audio system to sooth you to sleep and you won't even have to leave the company parking lot.

Some companies support a quiet or rest area. If yours does, try it out. Here is where you will likely want your music player so you can't hear others. If your company does not have this space, why not suggest it? Many companies find that well rested employees are more productive, and they might go for it.

The public library is a fine choice, since it will be open over the lunch hour and it will be quiet. Most libraries have comfortable chairs and little nooks where you can hide out for 10 minutes or so without bothering anyone, or being bothered. Heck, you can even grab a book on the way out for bedtime reading.

The local coffee shop may even be an option for a double duty visit. Start with a light lunch, then rest your eyes for a while. On your way out you can grab a coffee to go and head back to work.

It may sound funny to take a nap in the middle of the work day, but just give lunchtime napping a try and see what impact it has on your day. You may be surprised at the fact that you are more alert and get more done.