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‘Caffeine Nap’ Boosts Writing Productivity??

By Michael Stelzner

“What the heck is this all about??,” I thought.

Drink some coffee, take a nap, wake up and write your heart out!

Yes, scientists have proven that you can boost your alertness (and maybe even your productivity) by taking a caffeine nap!

Brad Isaac reports:

Sleep researchers at the Loughborough University in Britain did several tests on fatigued drivers to compare the effects of different methods for a driver can use to stay awake. They put the volunteers in driving simulators while they were sleepy and let them drive. Some of the tests included rolling down windows for cold exposure, blasting the radio and slapping oneself in the face to try to stay awake. But what researchers found worked the best was a caffeine nap.

How do I take a caffeine nap?

So here is the theory: You chug down a cup of coffee (I prefer Diet Coke) and immediately take a nap.

BUT, there’s a catch: You can only snooze for 15 minutes. Any extra time and the benefit is gone.

Does it really work?

One of Isaac’s readers had this to say:

“This actually works! I’m a college student and I’ve spent the last four years doing the caffeine nap. It’s really true. It totally gets you going when you need it. It’s nice to see my own ‘personal’ findings validated. “

Another person said:

“I’ve found great success with these, even with lower levels of caffeine (i.e. a single espresso or 80mg of caffeine). Within 2 minutes of waking, I’m ready to go.”

Here is the study on this.

So let’s hear from you. What do you think about this? Have you tried it?

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 5:14 am and is filed under Freelance Writing, Writing White Papers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • Guest
    Both me and my wife are coffee drinkers but we never heard of caffeine nap. I should really ask my wife to try this as she works in the office and gets tired very easily at the end of the day. Maybe the caffeine nap will help her through the day much easier.
  • I prefer drinking energy drinks than caffeine. However, energy drinks contain caffeine so, yes, you are absolutely right, caffeine boosts writing productivity.
  • wow that's really interesting and weird at the same time. i just graduated college but i would have loved to have known this earlier! perhaps ill try it out at work one day! lol
  • Hmmm , well I always take a 15+ minute nap after lunch before going back to work , at times I feel refreshed but there are also times I feel lethargic.

    But I never tried it with caffeine , I'll give it a try by downing a glass of diet coke before naptime and see what happens , thanks^^
  • Stumble on this resource by accident. But, boy oh boy I'm glad I did. I've heard this before but never took it seriously. I guess I ought to check this out. I guess the 15 minute rule will be the hardest part.
  • WFU
    The 15 minute nap is called a power nap and it does actually work. I have done this to regain my alertness when I am trying to write or deal with my kids. I haven't tried the coffee experiment though. I would be afraid that it would keep me awake.
  • Back in my military days we napped when we could. in fact the rules were to: sleep when you can, drink as much water as you can, eat full meal when offered and use the facilities. No idea when you may be able to do any of the 4 again.

    A 15 minutes nap can clear your mind, but you have to be careful to not fall too deeply into your sleep because waking can be hard. I think it is Brausch that said the same thing about internet business, when you hit the wall. Reboot and hit the couch for 30 minutes.
  • I'm not a coffee drinker. And I rarely drink soda anymore.
    But what I do find VERY helpful for boosting productivity
    and reducing stress is chewing gum.

    I'm actually chewing my second piece of the day as I type
    this blog comment.

    For the last few years, I have an almost "pack a day" habit
    with Eclipse sugar free gum (made by Wrigley). Fortunately,
    Costco sells a nice big box that's a pretty good deal.

    I find myself chewing gum also many times while driving.

    In terms of writing productivity, I also have to say that
    I'm almost always at my best in the morning. And nearly
    worthless with concentration-intensive writing between
    2-5pm.

    Great info!
  • I rarely drink caffein. Everytime I drink a cup of coffee, my heart bid faster than usual and I got cold sweating. But, I think the most productive time for me to write is when I just awake in the morning, my brain is still clear so I can start to write and arrange my sentence nicely...
  • Mike-
    I drink caffeine. But I have found if you quit drinking coffee for a couple days, then on the third day have a "dark" coffee an hour before you start work it is a huge benefit. Plus, I have added a fifteen minute walk in their before I actually sit down. With that kind of circulation coursing through your body it carries you through a couple hours of writing.
  • Hi Andrea and Linda;

    There seems to be something to this :)

    Mike
  • Linda Harris
    I haven't tried it with caffeine, but I know if I am exhausted, taking a little cat nap can revive those sleepy brain cells. I never used to take naps because I'd wake up feeling worse than when I went to sleep. But as I get older, I understand my mother's "I'm just resting my eyes" moments.
  • I thought I was the only person in the world that chugs a cup of coffee and then goes straight to sleep.

    I didn't know there was a name for this but I've done it for years. It works for me.
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