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Napping at school and the science of chronobiology

Website Editor • Sep 17, 2019

Do you ever feel that you are not as productive as you used to be? 

Everybody feels this way at some point, as our brains need periods of rest in order to work at their full capacity. Even if you have had several days in which your performances were outstanding, there comes a time when you won’t feel capable of delivering at the same level. Thus, understanding the concept of chronobiology, the natural cycles of the body, can mean being able to recognize when your brain needs to rest itself so that you can continue to work at high levels and deliver the best possible results.

A girl doing her home work with a pencil and paper.

It can be quite frustrating to look for new ideas and have the feeling that you can’t reach them. It’s like your brain refuses to co-operate and come up to expectation. Well, if you didn’t know, our bodies have an internal clock. This internal clock determines when the body and brain need some time to rest in order to function at its full potential. So, according to scientists, if we could synchronize our work with our internal clock, then our work would always be at its best, as we would be more than capable of using our brain effectively and creatively. In other words, chronobiology is the science that teaches us about the cycles our body goes through and the ebbs and flows of these cycles.

Of course, things are more complicated than they seem, as we all tend to work on different schedules. So, it is worth taking a closer look at how our mind works day after day, recognizing when we are most productive. Specialists state that our brain works best at midday. Of course “midday” is not the same for everyone. Commonly you can feel most productive between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with a fatigue gap until 4 p.m., from where your productivity may get back on track until 10 p.m.. Therefore it seems that a nice nap between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. may be necessary in order to maximize your potential throughout the day. Known as the “post-lunch dip”, this is a period in which our brain slows down significantly. You have probably experienced this, when your mind wants to take a break after lunch instead of keeping up the same pace.

Napping at School and The Science of Chronobiology: children lying awake while they are supposed to be napping at school

What about those who seem to be better at studying at night? Not all people are effective during the day, there are quite a few who believe studying until late at night is better in their case. The thing is that the later you get up from bed during the day, the later you should start your study and work hours. However, it is worth mentioning that sacrificing hours of your sleep night after night is not a good idea in the long-term, as this will take a significant toll on your health. If you do go through such a period, you should try, as soon as possible, to get back to a normal schedule of sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night and not studying too late. No matter how much you like to study in the peace of night-time, our bodies were not made to work like this for too long.

Napping At School and The Science of The Chronobiology: A girl lays her head on her computer to sleep after a long days work

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