sleep and recovery

This story from Wired has been getting a lot of coverage on the Internet, but given our earlier post, we had to include it as well:

Scientists say that a successful midday nap depends on two things: timing and (no kidding) caffeine consumption. Experiments performed at Loughborough University in the UK showed that the sleep-deprived need only a cup of coffee and 15 minutes of shut-eye to feel amazingly refreshed.

1. Right before you crash, down a cup of java. The caffeine has to travel through your gastro-intestinal tract, giving you time to nap before it kicks in.

2. Close your eyes and relax. Even if you only doze, you’ll get what’s known as effective microsleep, or momentary lapses of wakefulness.

3. Limit your nap to 15 minutes. A half hour can lead to sleep inertia, or the spinning down of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which handles functions like judgment. This gray matter can take 30 minutes to reboot.

Cheat on the Need to Sleep - Wired How-To Wiki

Rosekind argues more would get done a lot faster if workers simply took the time to sleep. And yes, there are simple things we can do to make that happen. Naps at work are good. And caffeine used strategically can stoke performance. (Naps and coffee. I love this man.)

SiliconValley.com interviews Mark Rosekind, a sleep consultant, who preaches the merits of good sleep to Silicon Valley’s business elite.

Cassidy: Sleepless in Silicon Valley? One man says no - SiliconValley.com.