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Thomas Edison hardly slept at all, except in 20-minute naps.Mark Twain was noted for his insomnia, but was always dozing offat public functions. So what's the relationship or the secretbetween 40-winks of nap-time and a person's creativity?
Scientists have proven in recent years that the human bodyrequires only as much sleep as the brain will allow it. In otherwords, so long as the brain is functioning at full capacity,there's no great requirement for sleep. The big thing is thatthe brain needs a rest every now and then, and apparently, thebrain can refresh itself and go on "like with a full tank ofgas" with just a short, 20-minute nap.
Regardless of all the relaxation techniques that are populartoday, sleep is still the most refreshing and healthfulrelaxation of all to most people. Even so, the quick 40-winksbetween appointments or meetings can refresh and rejuvenatealmost anyone as much as 8-hours of sleep.
Throughout history, busy, pressured men have all shared in theability to take a break from whatever the problems of the momentwere, in order to refresh themselves with a short nap. Forproblem solvers, trouble-shooters, writers and/or other peopledoing creative or intellectual work, the benefits of a short20-minute nap can be similar to a transfusion of blood plasma.
These short 20-minute naps for people who are really engrossedin their work, almost always provide a fresh burst of new ideasand energy. They tend to eliminate the need for caffeine boostsduring the workday. And, they guarantee a reserve of energy sothat the working day isn't followed by an evening in which hefalls asleep on the couch watching TV or at a social event.
To take advantage of the mental rejuvenation benefits inherentin a 20-minute nap, all you need is an uninterrupted 20-minutes.If you're working in an office, take your phone off the hook ordisconnect it from the wall plug. Hang a sign on your door andinstruct your secretary that you're not to be disturbed for20-minutes. A couch to lie down on would be fine, but if you'venot got a couch handy, simply stretch out on the floor.
When you lie down to take a nap, you should loosen your shoes,your belt and your tie. Basically, it's best if you lie on yourback and cross your arms across your chest.
You shouldn't concentrate on it, nor worry about falling asleep.First off, you'll be resting and that alone will give you thenew energy you need. If your brain needs a rest as well, you'llsoon fall asleep.
It's all right to think about specific business problems whileyou're still in the resting stage, but you must not allowyourself to get up and deal with them if answers come to youbefore your 20-minute nap period is up. As much as you can, youshould try to direct your thoughts to nonwork ideas while you'reresting. In other words, you might think about the things youintend to do when you get home from work.
You might mentally play a round of golf on your favorite course.Imagine watching your golf swing and correcting your problems.Besides relaxing you, these reveries provide the extra dividendof actually helping you to improve you own skills. Mentalpreparation accounts for a great deal of one's skill in sports,and this kind, which you accomplish while you're relaxing, canpay off in double dividends.
Learn to ignore whatever noises there are - just tell yourselfthat these are noises of the atmosphere and do not relate toyou. See them as a part of your environment, and not asirritants.
To be sure that you wake up at the end of 20 minutes, set analarm or tell your secretary to wake you at the end of your restperiod. Once you've practiced settling down and resting for20-minutes at a time, you'll be able to wake yourself justbefore the alarm goes off or your secretary rouses you.
Attempting to sleep for 30-minutes or even an hour, will leaveyou feeling groggy rather than refreshed. There is nothing wronghowever, with taking several 20-minute naps at differentintervals throughout an especially long or tiring workday. Theimportant thing to remember is that you can gain new energy andnew creativity by resting and napping when you feel low onenergy or as if you're running out of ideas.
As you awaken from your nap, you should lie still for a minuteor two - then stretch and breathe deeply - take your time ingetting up - adjust your clothing and take a drink of water toget your system going again.
Then, return to work, starting with simple chores such asopening letters or organizing the work you have to do. Withinjust a few minutes you should feel full of energy and able tohandle any problem as it comes up.
With practice you'll be able refresh and rejuvenate your entiremental system with a short 20-minute nap. The important thing isto recognize when you need one to handle the problems at hand,and then to avail yourself of them. Total relaxation, completephysical and mental rest, and then a whole new burst of energyand creativity as the result.
Give it a try for yourself and see if you aren't amazed at theresults!
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