Keeping the body and mind working fine isn’t that tough, even for busy executives strapped for time
1 Reboot your brain with power naps
Nodding off for 15-30 minutes at work doesn’t mean you are lazy. On the contrary, it helps enhance memory and reduce stress. A mid-day snooze reverses information overload, says a Harvard University study. A NASA study shows that napping helps you focus better by improving your ability to focus on one task while holding other tasks in memory. But, cautions the study, it’s only a short-term fix and no substitute to a good night’s sleep. It’s also important to limit your nap to not more than 30 minutes. Any longer, and you would enter a deep sleep. Trying to wake up after that could make you groggy for a while!
Bonus Tips for Frequent Travellers: The biggest health disruptor while travelling is the absence of any order to your daily routine. So it all boils down to bringing back order. Get enough sunlight. Take naps. And get as much movement as you can — walk up and down the aircraft; walk rather than take the escalator.
(This story appears in the 08 January, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)