WHAT IS A CAFFEINE/COFFEE POWER NAP?
Just about everyone can use more energy. The Caffeine Power Nap is a big reason I was able to get through medical school and residency with a young family and four young kids at home. Whether on a long stretch of brutal overnight call, or a frantic scramble to study for upcoming exams, the power nap is one of my favorite tools to jump start my brain when I’m feeling a little foggy or getting ready for a long and tiring shift.
To give a power nap even more power, I use a little “nap enhancer” or the so-called caffeine power nap. A caffeine power nap is a short nap that is preceded by the intake of a caffeinated beverage or a caffeine pill. Watch this video and keep reading to learn more about this little tip that drastically improved my performance during medical school and residency.
DOES A CAFFEINE POWER NAP WORK?
There is strong evidence that caffeine can be used to improve alertness, brain function and energy for a short time. That is why over 60 percent of Americans drink coffee on a daily basis as we try to increase our productivity (or feed our addiction). Combine caffeine with a nap, and when done correctly, this hack can leave you feeling recharged and ready to go in a relatively short time.
It is also common knowledge that when we are tired, a great way to feel better is to go to sleep, or if we are short on time, we can take a nap. When we combine the two tactics that make us feel better and more energized, the result is the caffeine power nap or coffee power nap which can be a very effective tool for downtrodden medical students, residents, and practicing physicians.
A study by Horne and Reyner from 1997 in the journal Psychophysiology found that sleepy adults who combined 200 mg of caffeine (twice the amount in 8 ounces of brewed coffee) and then took a nap performed better on a simulated driving test compared to people who only got the caffeine or a placebo.
Another study published in Clinical Neurophysiology in 2003 found that the most effective performance-boosting strategy for doing mundane computer tasks was the caffeine plus nap group.
HOW DO YOU CAFFEINE POWER NAP?
Back when my wife and I were on the two year baby plan, we had our first baby shortly before medical school and then we had babies every two years thereafter until we finished with four kids. Suffice it to say, as a medical student and resident I was no stranger to sleep deprivation. Here is my take on the caffeine power nap that helped me to survive medical school and residency:
- I gave up consuming caffeine on a regular basis to prevent my body from building a tolerance. I reserve caffeine, my drug of choice, for when I most need an extra boost. By keeping myself relatively caffeine free, I can then fall asleep on a moment’s notice and it takes less caffeine to give me a jolt.
- I quickly drink half of a caffeinated beverage like Monster Energy, Ultra Sunrise
, bolusing caffeine into my system, and then quickly fall asleep in a nice cozy place: call room, library, car… etc.
- My alarm wakes me up 25 minutes later, just as the caffeine is hitting my synapses.
- I slowly sip the rest of my caffeinated drink and thus consume caffeine as a maintenance drip over the next hour or so.
HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS RECOMMENDED?
Depending on the article you read, recommendations can vary. I don’t recommend a dosage of caffeine as each person’s sensativity to the drug differs. Even for me, my caffeine sensitivity, and therefore the caffeine required to help me feel refreshed can vary. If I’m on a particularly busy rotation or schedule where I find myself constantly with a caffeinated beverage in my hand, I find it takes more caffeine to make those caffeine power naps effective. If I have abstained or have decreased my caffeine intake for a time, it takes less caffeine to boost my power naps.
WHO SHOULD NOT MIX CAFFEINE WITH NAPPING?
The caffeine power nap is not always appropriate. Try not to nap, and especially try not to caffeine power nap 7 hours before going to bed as the result may result in difficulty falling asleep when it is time to hit the hay. Those who are especially sensitive to caffeine or who suffer from insomnia should also avoid the caffeine nap.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
To this day, I still use the caffeine power nap for a quick recharge. How you intake your caffeine is up to you. Since I don’t drink coffee, I prefer a sugar free soda like Diet Mountain Dew or Coke Zero Sugar. When I really need a kick, my favorite sugar free energy drink is the Monster Energy, Ultra Sunrise (read more about it at Amazon
If you are a weary doctor in training or a practicing physician looking for a way to help yourself feel refreshed, give the caffeine power nap a try.