If you're feeling tired and want to get yourself out of that lazy rut that one often falls into post lunch, you either brew a strong espresso or reach for your pillow, well, if you’re working from home of course. But did you ever stop to think what exactly leads to this afternoon slump? You might have a flawless sleep schedule but despite cashing in on those eight hours, an afternoon slump is inevitable. Most of the time it’s not due to sleep deprivation or physical exhaustion, but due to a natural process that our bodies go through. About eight hours after you wake up, the body's temperature dips a little. This ultimately leads to that drowsy phase where all you want to do is give up and fall asleep once again.

 

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Now coming back to the different ways of getting out of this tiring phase, caffeine and naps are lifesavers. At their core, both of them work by targeting a certain neurotransmitter that our brain produces. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t have their own differences.

 

If you look at the larger picture, naps have a lot of advantages over drinking coffee. They work on a deeper level, boost your brain’s learning capacity, improve alertness while also improving cognitive abilities. But not everyone has the luxury of setting aside an hour during the day to indulge in a refreshing nap. That’s why drinking a cup of coffee remains the most popular way of staying alert and focused. The effects might not last as long as a nap, but it’s definitely the easier choice, no matter how you look at it.

 

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The Verdict

Caffeine and naps are both effective ways of getting over that sluggish period in the afternoon when you can’t seem to get anything done. But both of them have their own pros and cons. If you’re looking for a quick fix to boost your productivity levels then there’s nothing better than a cup of coffee. But if you want something that rejuvenates you on a deeper level, then you should get into the habit of taking a quick nap every afternoon.

 

Now that you’re familiar with the benefits of these fatigue-busting mediums, what if we told you that you could somehow pick their best part? It might sound silly at first, but coffee-naps are a real thing and apparently very popular on the internet. For most of us, coffee and sleep are polar opposites that work in completely different ways. So the thought of somehow combining the two to one’s benefit might seem impossible. But science suggests otherwise.

 

And upon closer inspection, you’ll realise that it actually makes sense. If you caffeinate immediately before napping and sleep for 30 minutes or less, you can benefit from the effects of both caffeine and sleep and maximise your brain’s ability to stay alert. In the end, it all comes down to a neurotransmitter named adenosine.

 

According to a study by Dr L A Reyner, Sleep Research Laboratory, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK, sleeping naturally gets rid of adenosine from your system, while caffeine is also known to block adenosine receptors. If you drink coffee immediately before taking a nap, then those 30 minutes are enough for caffeine to work its way into your system. So if you nap for those 30 minutes, your body will naturally reduce your levels of adenosine just in time for the caffeine to kick in. The caffeine will have less adenosine to compete with, and will thereby be even more effective in making you alert.

 

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