Detailed experiments conducted by yours truly on the subject of shortened period sleep, or power napping, reveal that the brain does in fact reinvigorate enough to allow continued functionality beyond a period of time disproportionally larger than the period of sleep. There are of course limits as to how often one can delay taking full rest in favor of power naps.
Certain other factors can also mitigate the beneficial effect of the power nap, chiefly:
- one or more felines participating in mutual or self cleaning exercises on the body of the subject attempting to sleep;
- one or more felines engaging in high velocity runs or chases on / around / through the subject’s bed;
- one or more felines making extended use of vocal capabilities
It is recommended that power napping is conducted in a controlled environment
The main defining factor of the power nap is, of course, the fact that it is cut short after the desired period of time. Failure to stop the power nap would increase the risk of the subject going into deep sleep, thus shooting past any deadlines or target times that were set before the sleep period. The mobile phone alarm is the principal instrument to aid in the termination (hence definition) of the power nap. There are however conflicting forces at work in the operation of the mobile phone alarm:
On one hand the mobile phones have to be kept close enough so that the emitted sound has the desired effect of waking the subject and terminating the power nap.
On the other hand, one of the aforementioned felines has a habit of being independent and creating his own unique resting space. Too often this involves pushing all items off from the surface of the bedside table, which under normal circumstances would include the all important mobile phones. This cannot be risked because the mobile units either (a) cost significantly, or (b) are not the direct property of the subject.
A compromise is reached by placing the mobile phones inside the top drawer of the bedside table. There is however another addition to the risk matrix, that the sound emanating from the mobile phone alarms do not reach the required levels to wake the subject from the power nap. In one documented instance the alarm rang for a full 47 minutes and 23 seconds before the subject fully came to. This risk factor can be mitigated by placing the less valuable of the two mobile units (the one not belonging to the subject) on the floor next to the bed, so that the sound waves are unimpeded.
In closing it is recommended that whenever power naps are planned, the subject should ensure that a significant other (or paid collaborator) calls in on the telephone land line to ensure full consciousness at the end of the nap.
