During exams, students go an extra mile to cover the syllabus in a time bound system. They burn the midnight oil to complete the course and neglect sleep altering their biological clock of the body. Almost no student that I’ve talked to has ever even thought about power naps as a means of augmenting their revision. A daily power nap can make a genuine difference to the exam prospects of all students.
The term ‘power nap’ is a bit misleading. Research by Harvard and other institutions over the past 30 years suggested that a power nap of around 20 minutes is generally considered to be the optimal length. During this short period, the aim is simply to lie down in a dark room, close your eyes, clear the mind of all thoughts, and relax. You might well find that you begin to lightly doze off after a short while, and that’s allowed, but we’re not aiming for full sleep. In fact, if you do have a power nap for much longer than around 30mins, then you’ll be much more likely to fall into a deeper state of sleep. Doing so will mean that you’ll feel groggy when you wake up, which is counter-productive. Setting a timer to quickly rouse yourself at the end of a nap will avoid this problem.
So if a power nap isn’t actual sleep, then why is it any good? Surprisingly, studies have shown that the body and brain benefits from a power nap in the same way as they do from regular sleep. Sleeping for a full 8 hours every night should be a major component in every student’s plan for achieving exam success. Since a power nap mimics the effects of overnight sleep, it helps recuperate the sleep deprive state of every student.
A power nap refreshes the body and brain, heighten alertness and promote a positive frame of mind. This in turn improves concentration and attitudes to study. A power nap relaxes the body and brain, helping to reduce stress. It boosts cognitive function (short & long term memory) and enhances the brain’s ability to absorb information. It is very luring to brush up the concepts right before exams, but taking a power nap before it will consolidate what you have studied and hence help you to bump the grades.
Feature Image Credits: Pinterst
Sandeep Samal
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