A “nappuccino” is a double-delight — you sip a delicious caffeinated brew before laying down your sleepy head for a short nap. The coffee takes effect just as you wake up, so you’re refreshed, not groggy. A delicious luxury!
Dr. James Maas first coined the term “power nap” in 1979. What a talented advertising copywriter the good doctor was. He helped make getting a little shut eye when a nurse feels exhausted before, during or after a shift sound positively masterful.
In addition to the psychological benefit of a mini-vacation, the National Sleep Foundation offers these performance-based reasons for napping:
1. To restore alertness and performance;
2. To reduce mistakes and accidents;
3. To extend those benefits for hours later on in the day
A caffeine-fueled wake-up call can be tricky to pull off, though. Wait too long to wake up and you may feel fuzzy-brained, so set a timer for 20 minutes, which is just about right for one cup of Joe.
As you may have heard, there’s some recent evidence that too little sleep contributes to weight gain, especially in shift-workers. A nappaccino an help you get more Zzzz’s, but it can also pack on the pounds in another way: Specialty coffee drinks are calorie bombs.
Take a look at a Starbucks Beverage Facts brochure for nutritional data. Scanning their Signature Espresso Drinks, you’ll see the Grande Caramel Macchiato with 2% milk is an unhealthy 240 calories. Their Grande White Chocolate Mocha with 2% milk is a whopping 400 calories.
You can keep calorie counts low by choosing a smaller (saner!) size. The Short size is 8 fluid ounces versus the Grande, which is 16 fluid ounces. Also, go with non-fat milk and skip the whipped cream altogether. Syrup or sugar is sweet, of course, but sugar-free options are better. You can also choose a light version of any coffee Frappuccino for 1/3 fewer calories.
So, what’s your favorite way to cozy up for a nap and to make sure you wake up relaxed and refreshed? We’d like to know.
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