🛏️ Axios Finish Line: Nap power

Plus: Cartoon du jour | Monday, October 17, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Oct 17, 2022 Oct 17, 2022 Welcome back! Smart Brevity™ count: 348 words ... 1½ mins.     1 big thing: Nap power Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios   America needs more sleep. And 80% of us try to catch up with naps, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: A third of Americans aren't getting enough sleep at night. When work schedules, parenting and life get in the way, naps — done right — can be highly effective at filling the gaps. The stakes: As we've reported, medical research has linked insufficient sleep to obesity, depression, anxiety, and even heart failure and dementia. Lack of sleep also chips away at our alertness, memory and ability to reason. Naps are no replacement for a good night's rest. But the right kind of nap can alleviate the shorter-term effects of sleep deprivation, studies have shown. One study found that napping increased endurance and physical performance. Another linked short snoozes to stress relief. A Johns Hopkins study compared nappers to non-nappers: Those who dozed were better at recalling things and drawing figures — both signs of strong cognitive function. Our top nap tips: How long? The ideal nap lasts between 20 and 30 minutes, the Sleep Foundation says. That allows the body to get the benefits of resting without entering into deep sleep, leaving you groggy when you wake up. Set an alarm! When? Take naps in the early afternoon, the Mayo Clinic says. A nap after 3 p.m. might interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night. Where? A nap is only as good as its environment. Find a quiet, comfortable place to doze off — at work, that could be a break room. Use ear plugs and an eye mask to block out distractions. Companies should work to make napping a more normal practice, and provide places where workers can take some much-needed rest. The bottom line: Think of naps like workouts. They're another tool in your kit to facilitate a healthy, happy life. Share this story.     A message from Axios Grab your copy of Smart Brevity     Smart Brevity will show you how to cut through the fog of words and get your message heard. Axios' co-founders share their secret sauce for transforming communication in this book. Order from smartbrevity.com or wherever books are sold.     2. Cartoon du jour Thank you to our friends at The New Yorker for their kind permission to bring you this perfect nightcap: Cartoon: Lars Kenseth. Used by permission of The New Yorker, via The Cartoon Bank   Thank you to Amy Stern for copy editing Finish Line. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: