Nappuccinos are the new Espressos

Originally Published: 27 April 2020

Most people drink coffee to stay awake. What if you drank coffee and then did the very thing you wanted to avoided in the first place: sleep?

A nappuccino is another word for a coffee nap. It's as simple as it sounds. You drink coffee and then take a short nap to wake up feeling more alert.

BREWED UP BY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

Adenosine in the brain acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter- when it binds to receptors in the brain, it can promote sleep, making you feel tired.

When caffeine is absorbed through the small intestine, it passes through the blood stream and travels to the brain where it binds to receptors that would usually be blocked by Adenosine. Thus, while adenosine makes you feel sleepy, caffeine has the opposite affect and makes you feel alert.

As mentioned in an article by vox, "sleeping naturally clears adenosine from the brain" which means the caffeine has less adenosine to compete with and you feel a greater sense of alertness. Thus, the combination of coffee consumption and a nap gives you a double-shot espresso of alertness.

IS THIS EVEN BACKED BY STUDIES?

Yes.

A Japanese study, using university students, found that those who consumed caffeine before a 20 minute nap, performed better on memory tests than the volunteers who 1) took a nap without caffeine 2) washed their faces or were 3) exposed to bright light. The caffeine nap volunteers also rated themselves lower generally lower on the subjective sleepiness scale for fatigue.

The study concluded:

"The combination of caffeine and a short nap was clearly superior to caffeine alone or taking a nap alone."

A UK study, also tested the effectiveness of caffeine naps by assessing the performance of volunteers using a driving simulator. Three conditions were tested: 1) caffeine consumption and a nap 2) only caffeine consumption 3) placebo (decaf coffee) and a nap. The naps were only 15 minutes long. Volunteers who consumed coffee and took a nap, caused the fewest incidents in the driving simulation. This study also revealed other interesting points.

Firstly, a nappuccino may be more effective than drinking stronger coffee without a nap:

"With respect to incidents and subjective sleepiness, the combined treatment was clearly superior to caffeine alone, even at a slightly higher dose."

Additionally, try a nappuccino- even if you can't fall asleep properly:

"Interestingly, the improvements in incidents, and subjective sleepiness during the second hour for caffeine-and-nap were also evident in the four participants who did not obtain conventional sleep during their nap, but only dozed."

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU NAPPUCCINO FOR?

Caffeine reaches a peak level in your blood within 30 to 60 minutes. That’s why contrary to popular belief, you can fall asleep after drinking coffee. It's recommended that you nap for 20 minutes, with 30 minutes being a maximum. You don't want to nappuchinno beyond that because then you enter a deeper stage of sleep and may experience sleep inertia-waking up after a long nap can make you feel groggy and cranky.

In the same vox article, it mentions that sleeping for 20 minutes will "reduce your levels of adenosine just in time for the caffeine to kick in" and because "the caffeine will have less adenosine to compete with", you'll feel more alert than if you only drank caffeine or took a nap by itself.

No snoozing that alarm clock!

WHAT TIME SHOULD YOU NAPPUCCINO?

According to Daniel Pink, author of "When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing", you should ideally nap "7 hours after waking"- find your "afternoon low point."Other research also suggests that it’s better to take nappuccinos more than six hours before bed to avoid interferences with your night-time sleep.

Coffee lovers need their beauty sleep too.

WHAT TYPE OF COFFEE SHOULD YOU DRINK?

For your nappuchino to be most effective, drink coffee without sugar. This is outlandish for a lot of people. The most accessible option would be black coffee. As explained in a video by sleepopolis, "sugar can cause a blood sugar spike followed by a crash." You don’t want to feel sluggish or drowsy after you wake up so if you're one of those people who shower their coffee with 5 sugar sachets (friendly reminder: diabetes is a real health condition) be brave and face the caffeine head on.

As caffeine's simulating effects occur in a relatively narrow time frame, you want to drink your coffee quite quickly- this is a challenge for those of us who sit in a café for two hours with the same drink. Drinking iced coffee or an espresso shot could help with this.

NAPPUCCINO OR NAH?

Research shows that if you drink a lot of caffeine, you develop a tolerance to it. That's why coffee has little to no effect on some people- they can easily fall asleep after consuming a caffeinated drink or find it difficult to stay alert no matter how many cups they drink. Therefore, if you already feel that caffeine doesn't affect you, then a nappuccino may not be as effective to you compare to someone else. However, there's no harm in trying!

Nappuccinos could help you complete tasks more efficiently, whether that's studying for an exam or ticking something off your checklist. If anything, think of how chic it would be to say: "sorry I missed your call- I just woke up from a nappuccino."

Still not convinced? Sleep on it.