How to Successfully Take 20-Minute Power Naps
I hate sleep.
I feel like it’s a waste of time and I can be doing other things.
But I understand that sleep is needed.
Without it, I’m only functioning at 75 percent.
I have 2 types of sleep:
- The nightly sleep & the day naps.
I have 2 radically different philosophies with these 2 types of sleep:
- With the nightly sleep, I don’t set an alarm.
- With the day naps, I set an alarm.
Allow me to explain why I do what I do, then I will share how to successfully take 20-minute power naps.
Why I Don’t Set an Alarm for My Nightly Sleep
The reason I don’t set an alarm for my nightly sleep is because I have been doing it for so long.
A few years back, I was a part of the 5 am club.
Where I would wake up at 5 am every day.
I did that for so long that nowadays, I wake up early on autopilot.
Even on vacation, if I’m trying to sleep in, I will wake up by 6-ish.
When I let my body naturally wake me up, I tackle the day with more enthusiasm.
When I have an alarm wake me up, there is some dread.
‘Do you ever use alarms for the nightly sleep, Armani?’
Yes.
If it’s high-pressure enough, then I will set an alarm just in case.
For example, if I have a flight at 6:30 am, and I have to wake up at 4:30 am to get ready, then I will set an alarm.
But for the most part, no alarms are needed for my nightly knockouts.
I let my body organically wake me up.
Why Power Naps Need an Alarm
With power naps, my philosophy is different.
I have to set alarms.
If I just knock out without setting an alarm, I will oversleep.
When I oversleep, I wake up feeling groggy.
Not only do I feel groggy, but I also feel guilty.
‘Dang, the whole day got away from me!’
It’s hard to get back on track after that.
After doing some research, there were 3 time intervals of power naps that I discovered:
- 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 90 minutes.
I tried 10 minutes a couple of times, but it was too short.
It didn’t feel like sleep at all.
I tried 90 minutes as well.
That felt too long.
Why will I sleep for an hour in a half in the day when I am going to sleep for 7-8 hours again at night?
20 minutes was the final choice.
How shall I proceed?
Taking a 20 Minute Power Nap
I began by setting the alarm at 20 minutes and 30 seconds.
The initial 30 seconds allow me to get into the power-napping mood.
Here’s what’s going to happen…
For the first 15 minutes, you will feel like nothing is happening.
You’ll have thoughts of:
‘I’m just closing my eyes, but not really sleeping.’
Be patient.
Just keep your eyes closed and breathe naturally.
By the 16th-minute mark, you will enter a vortex.
In this vortex, time warps.
You will feel like you’ve been knocked out for sooo long.
By the time your alarm goes off, you’ll think:
‘Wow! How long did I sleep? That had to be a couple of hours.’
Then you look at the time and see that it has only been 20 minutes and 30 seconds.
The initial thoughts of you thinking that the power nap was not working feels like a distant memory.
Now you feel refreshed.
The 2 Things to Focus on When Taking Power Naps
Your 2 objectives with power napping are to keep your eyes closed and breathe.
That’s it.
You don’t need to count sheep.
Don’t keep opening your eyes to check the time.
And don’t keep getting up.
Lie down, close your eyes, and breathe.
The first few times, it will be hard.
You’re used to sleeping for hours, not minutes.
Sleeping for minutes is training the nervous system into a new mode.
Later, you will have mastered the process.
Where you have a sleep routine that works for you.
I typically do a power nap at 3 pm.
20 minutes and 30 seconds is my sweet spot.
- Be patient to make it to the 15-minute mark.
- Give yourself time to enter the vortex.
- Once you do, you’ll wake up feeling better than ever.
Can You Take Multiple Power Naps Throughout the Day?
For high performers, sleeping in the traditional way is difficult.
They have a habit of staying up late or waking up too early.
If you find yourself constantly neglecting your sleep, then experiment with taking more power naps.
‘Wait, can we take more than 1 power nap in a day?’
Yes.
Since they are so little, we can sprinkle them in.
I normally take 1 throughout the day.
But every now and then, when I have a huge workload and I’m feeling groggy, I will take 2.
In rare situations, I’ll go up to 3.
By the way, the purpose of this post is not to tell you to neglect your nightly sleep by taking more power naps throughout the day.
The purpose of this post is to teach you how to take power naps as a complement to your life.
Power naps aren’t supposed to replace your nightly sleep.
Stay Hydrated
A bonus tip to successfully take power naps is to stay hydrated throughout the day.
I recommend drinking a glass of water before the nap.
When you are hydrated, the nap feels way better.
You don’t wake up feeling tired.
Power naps live up to the name.
In self-improvement, many of us feel guilty about sleeping.
But when we are just committing 20 minutes, rather than an hour and a half, it’s easier to not feel guilty.
We take a quick snooze then go about our day.
Simple and to the point.
Practice taking a power nap the next time you’re tired.
- Set your timer.
- Close your eyes.
- Make it to the 15th minute mark.
- Enter the vortex.
- Wake up feeling recharged!
For more strategies for self-improvement, check out the Level Up Mentality Book:
🧠Ebook
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– ArmaniTalks 
