Soldiers swear by this power nap
The power nap of American soldier Jocko Willink is a hit on social media: by assuming a special position you would be completely rested in eight to ten minutes. Does this Navy Seal power nap really work?
American soldier Jocko Willink’s Navy Seal powernap is a big hit on TikTok. The top soldier was a guest on the Mikhaila Peterson Podcast and told how he has perfected his napping technique: “I get up every day at 4.30 am. When I feel tired during the day, I take a nap. For eight to ten minutes. ” “That’s not a long nap,” the podcast host responds with surprise. “Yeah, but have you ever tried napping with your feet in the air?” Willink replies. According to him, 8 to 10 minutes of napping feels like 6 hours of sleep.
How does the Navy Seal power nap work?
“Your feet should be higher than your heart,” the soldier explains in the podcast. “On the couch while you lie on the floor, for example. You set your alarm for ten minutes later. If you are very tired, you fall asleep immediately and afterwards you feel reborn.”
What does the sleep expert say?
The video has since amassed millions of views on TikTok. There are now also videos of people testing the nap. TikTok user Alice Jenning: “It normally takes me ages to fall asleep, but now I’ve really slept.” This way of power napping can indeed work, says sleep expert Annelies Smolders, author of ‘Learn from the best – Sleep better‘ against the Belgian site HLN. “By elevating your legs, your heart has to work less hard to keep your blood circulating. This ensures that your heart and your whole body become calmer, you also experience less stress and anxiety and you should therefore fall asleep more easily .”
Works better with evening people
According to the sleep expert, whether it works for you also depends on what type of sleep you are. Evening people often sleep more easily at strange times. According to her, a power nap should not last much longer than 10 minutes. “Snapping longer is often not good for your sleep, because you then ‘steal’ from your sleep at night. In a nap of ten to a maximum of twenty minutes you only experience the first and second sleep phase: the lighter phases, and not the subsequent deep sleep. That is enough, because we see that your brain and muscles are already refreshed.”
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