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As a parent of young children, ‘me-time’ is scarce, but the afternoon nap offers a precious opportunity to recharge. Here are some tips to make the most of your afternoon rest, let’s go!
Coffee
The secret recipe for a good nap is coffee. Yes, you read that right. Coffee is the secret recipe for a good nap! Now you might be thinking, “Wait, coffee and naps? How does that work then?” Okay, we’ll explain.
The ‘science’ behind being tired
In our brain we have these fancy cells called neurons. They chat with each other by sending chemical signals. There are small channels called receptors that pick up these signals. During the day, our brain is slowly filled with a substance called adenosine, which binds to those receptors. That build-up of adenosine is the reason we feel like a shriveled balloon at the end of the day. *yawn*.
Caffeine vs. Adenosine
Now the coffee comes into action. The caffeine molecule looks suspiciously similar to adenosine. So, when you down that delicious cup of coffee, caffeine rushes into your brain and hijacks the adenosine receptors. No more adenosine hanging around there, which means you feel less tired.
Finally lie down
But wait, here comes the brilliant part. It takes about 20 minutes for caffeine to find its way to your brain. So, first have that coffee quickly (no longer than 5 minutes, otherwise it will be a caffeine race), and then dive into a 20-25 minute nap. Even if you don’t quite drift into dreamland, that almost-asleep position helps clear away adenosine. And when you wake up after those 20-25 minutes, you’ll be back to normal!
Please note, stay within those 20-25 minutes. Nap too long and you slip into a deeper sleep. Then you wake up even more tired than before the nap. Enjoy the fresh afternoon energy that coffee naps can give you!
So, cheers to coffee naps and the secret recipe for us tired parents!
2023-11-10 11:32:11
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