Coffee naps: the new way to beat the midday slump

STEP one: drink coffee. Step two: nap. Scientists have found that if you drink a cup of coffee quickly then go for a 20-minute nap, you will win at life.

The new way to beat the midday slump

STEP one: drink coffee. Step two: nap.

Scientists have begun recommending so-called coffee naps as a way to maximise the efficacy of both sleep and caffeine. Because caffeine takes a little while to reach the brain, you have time to fall asleep before it hits.

Drink a cup of coffee quickly in order to maximise your sleep time, then try for a 20-minute nap or rather slip into a half-asleep state — in 20 minutes, the brain doesn’t have time to fall deeply asleep. Thus, you can nap without disrupting your sleep cycle.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 28: A cup of coffee made from Brazilian Arabica coffee beans sits in a coffee shop on August 28, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Arabica coffee prices have been surging this year following one of the worst droughts in decades for coffee makers in Brazil. Brazil produces more coffee than any other country. (Photo Illustration by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

To create that coffee buzz, caffeine travels across the brain and fits into receptors for the chemical adenosine. But in order for that system to work, your brain must be free of adenosine, a byproduct of activity in the mind. A nap naturally clears out all the adenosine, leaving those receptors open for the caffeine.

Studies across the world have shown that people function better after coffee naps. UK subjects made fewer errors in a simulated driving scenario, while Japanese subjects scored better on tests.

Down that double espresso and lay back for some shut-eye — science says so.

This article was written by Emily Arata from Elite Daily and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.