Taking an afternoon nap is a pretty good idea...

A cup of strong coffee might make you feel wide awake, but a small study suggests that for improved physical and mental performance, an afternoon nap works better.

Scientists spent a morning training 61 people in motor, perceptual and verbal tasks: tapping a keyboard in a specific sequence, discriminating between shapes on a computer screen and memorizing a list of words. Then the scientists randomly divided the subjects into three groups. The first took a nap from 1 to 3 p.m. At 3, the second group took a 200-milligram caffeine pill, and the third took a placebo. The subjects repeated the tasks they had been taught earlier and were scored by researchers who did not know which group they were in. More...

See also:

1. Okay folks! Let's go to a cuddle party...
2. Tunes that soothe; the healing power of music...
3. Taking the stairs instead of the lift could save your life...
4. Does red wine slow down the ageing process?
5. Feeling down? Take a dose of Nature's Prozac...