What’s a ‘coffee nap’?

INDIANAPOLIS (Indy Style) – Whether it’s morning, mid-afternoon or you’re pulling an all-nighter, a good cup of coffee is one method to help us stay awake. But what if I told you coffee followed by a 15 to 20 minute nap might be a better way to increase your alertness so that you can complete whatever tasks lie ahead?

Here’s what the evidence says: a cup of coffee before a short nap is thought to increase energy because of its effect on an innate compound in our body called adenosine. Adenosine is located in every cell of our body.

Caffeine is a stimulant while adenosine causes sleepiness. A nap post-cup of joe essentially eliminates adenosine from the brain while you are sleeping.. That quick snooze is clearing adenosine from the brain and creating a path for caffeine.

Caffeine then makes its way to the brain cells it’s designed to attach to. When we wake up, we tend to feel more focused and are better able to maintain concentration. So, according to science, ‘coffee naps’ might be more beneficial more so than coffee or naps alone.

For more from Dr. Mary Gillis visit, Facebook.com/DrMaryGillis.