Key benefits of a of a power nap include:
- Improve alertness and stamina
- Increase your productivity and motor performance
- Reduces stress
- Elevate your mood
- Conscious memory improvement
A drawback to regular napping and using an alarm to wake you up
When you wake up to an alarm in the morning after a whole night’s sleep, you can feel groggy with impaired alertness, referred to as ‘sleep inertia’. The adverse effects of sleep inertia are generally more potent the longer you have been asleep.
During normal sleep, your brainwave frequencies move up and down through a curved cycle, which is often quoted as lasting around 90 minutes. If your alarm goes off while you are at the bottom of this sleep cycle, you will try to wake up while your brain and body are in a very deeply relaxed state, which isn’t easy, and it takes quite a while to fully wake up from this state.
In an ideal world, you’ll want to wake up when your dominant brainwave frequency is right near the top of this sleep cycle because it’s much easier to wake up, and you’ll become fully alert much faster.
The same applies to a power nap. You can experience the adverse effects of sleep inertia from a nap if you wake up with your brainwave frequency in the more alert state of Beta.
How the session is constructed
The benefits of using isochronic tones to power nap
- It makes it easier to fall asleep by stimulating your brainwaves down to a more relaxed frequency state
- During the last 3 minutes of the session, the frequency of the tones gradually increases to 12Hz in Beta. This helps overcome the problem of ‘sleep inertia’ and the recovery period you typically need after a nap.
Different Background Tracks Included
You can get the MP3s listed below, so you can choose the sound that suits your mood. Each contains the same NCY session but with an alternative background option.
Note: Laptop speakers are usually too small to produce enough bass to effectively hear the entrainment tones. So, we recommend using external speakers or headphones for better sound and results.
Get Theta Power Nap on MP3 – instant download.
Download the full high-quality MP3 versions of ‘Theta Power Nap’ and listen to them anytime you wish on:
- Cell/Mobile Phones
- iPad, iPods, etc.
- Mp3 player
Power napping tips
NI was napping in the dark, which works best. If you can’t go to a dark room, use an eye mask to help block out the light.
Try to get warm. Sleep studies have shown that while we sleep better at night if we are cooler, we nap better during the day if we are warmer.
Equipment required?
Headphones are not required for this session, but you might find that using them helps block out external noise, especially the over-ear type.
- MP3 player – Plug external speakers into your MP3 player/iPod or use a music docking station.
- Laptop—A laptop can be easily used in your bedroom, but we recommend using external speakers, as the laptop speakers are usually not powerful enough to hear the entrainment beats effectively.
- Standard Headphones—Although not always suitable while sleeping, you can use the smaller ‘in-ear’ earphones or the more prominent ‘over-ear’ headphones. This will depend on availability and the level of comfort you require.
- Recommended Headphones—If you find your existing headphones uncomfortable while napping, there are headphones on the market specifically for sleeping. The ones I like to use are called ‘SleepPhones’. They consist of a headband with flat speakers embedded inside, which you wear over your head during sleep. They are very comfortable to use while in bed or lying down.
