Yes, the sleep expertsare saying that having a nap during the course of the day is actually very beneficial for most people, whether you're NT or on the autistic spectrum.

This is really great news. From my experience, the majority of autistic adults suffer from tiredness during the day. Our brains work hard with the extra mental effort we put into understanding social situations, planning and completing tasks. I don't know about you, but my emotions are always on high alert! This leaves me mentally exhausted most of the time. Then we have the small matter of insomnia. This has always been an issue for me, and a big problem for many other people on the spectrum, not to mention the parents of children with autism. The end result of all this tiredness is that we get depressed, stressed and lethargic, and even less able to achieve things in life.

Till now, all the advice has been "avoid sleeping during the day,otherwise you won't sleep tonight!" Whilst this is true, there is now proven scientific research where people at work show increased productivity along with improved mental and physical health after a nap of around 45-90 minutes, especially in the early afternoon. Some forward-thinking companies, including Google, are even encouraging their workers to take a nap and have designated areas within their offices for this.

So why have I written about the benefits of napping in an autism blog, I hear you ask? Well in my experience of life on the spectrum, whilst managing a very busy career, I find that I do not have the mental stamina of my NT counterparts. At various times of the day, my brain becomes extremely tired and practically shuts down. No amount of caffeine can revive my thought processes or restore my mental energy. All I can do is find a quiet space and have a 45-minutepower-nap. Ninety-percent of the time this completely restores my mental energy and creativity for many hours afterwards.

Perhaps this would be a helpful strategy for other people with autism. A carefully managed approach to napping could increase an autistic persons ability to control their emotions, lower stress and anxiety. The evidence also shows that providing your naps happen at the correct part of the day, and does not last more than 90 minutes, then your nocturnal sleep pattern can even be enhanced. Again, this is all backed up by deep scientific research. Here is the link to a very interesting lecture on YouTube by Dr Sara Mednick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kubnf5ZH18g

In her lecture, Dr Mednick discusses some really solid scientific research, into the health and productivity benefits of a carefully structured day time nap.

Speaking as a usually stressed out autistic person, nothing energises by brain like an afternoon nap. I've always known this. But now I have science on my side, I will no longer feel guilty about indulging in a daytime power nap!

I look forward to less autistic stress and tiredness, whilst napping my way to even greater career success!

Thanks for reading

Steve