Today, many people around the world have become nap enthusiasts including celebrities. Yes… even celebrities need a break sometimes and they are not scared to talk about it ! They actually love to talk about it and share their napping experiences.
Winston Churchill
The British Prime Minister followed the same routine everyday regardless of the situation. Even at the peak of World War II, Winston Churchill would take a nap and rest after every two-hour lunch.
In his book, “The Gathering Storm” he wrote, “Nature did not design humanity to work from 8am until midnight without giving us time to recuperate, even if it is only for 20 minutes, it is enough to regain all vital forces.”
Le Pape François
The monarch of the Vatican is a very busy celebrity with an even busier schedule, and despite his 81 years of age, he accommodates his schedule : he goes to bed every night before 9pm and gets up at 4 am every morning !
The Pope says that he always takes a “flash-nap” after lunch but that’s it ! In fact, he often props his head down and rests his eyes during mass. According to the sovereign, when he prays it is a way of “sanctifying the name of God,” and according to him, there is no better place to fall asleep.
“I too, when I pray, sometimes fall asleep,” says Pope Francis as he smiles during an interview by the Italian Catholic Television station TV2000. “Saint Therese of the Child of Jesus said that she too did it (nap) and that is pleasing God.”, adds the Pope before quoting a psalm calling believers to “Be before God as a child in the arms of his father.”
Chris Martin
The 44-year old Coldplay singer has recently shared that he is a napping enthusiast because he barely sleeps at night. It was the MMA fighter, Connor McGregor who gave him such valuable advice. For the famous singer, naps allow him to develop his creativity.
In the podcast “Brydon &”, he said that “the key to life is to lie down for 15 minutes and close your eyes in the afternoon.”
We can therefore thank power-naps for the masterpieces the singer has created.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The soccer genius is an incomparable athlete. One of his secrets is sleep and sleeping a lot ! Even during holidays, the athlete schedules his days with naps. We can now understand the olympic form of CR7.
The five time Ballon d’Or winner has a very unique sleeping schedule. In fact, his night sleep never exceeds 8 hours regardless of it being a holiday or peak soccer season. But above all, the former Merengue striker does not take more than 5 naps a day of 90 minutes each, that is an additional 7 and a half hours of sleep!
It is his sleep coach, Nick Littlehales, a former English pro-golfer and specialist in marketing of the bedding industry, who has advised Ronaldo on his sleeping patterns.
Being an athlete is not only a physical challenge but also a mental one, “Learn how to train your mind and body.” sayd Ronaldo. Mental strength is just as important as physical strength and will help you achieve your goals. Be disciplined. Staying motivated and sticking to your routine is key.”
Yannick Bestaven
The famous french sailor was elected as sailor of the year and was awarded the Legion of Honor on Monday December 6th. Bestaven won the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe after an 80 day, solo, non-stop, race around the world full of twists and turns.
It is important to know that for sailors, an offshore race like the Vendé Globe, is an enduring challenge. It is therefore essential for them to take care of their physical and mental and health who are put to the test during this solo race. And so, in order to rest and recover, sleep management is at the core of their training.
The Vendée Globe winner states “I’m good at napping,” one could say that the leader of the Vendé Globe went the distance while benefiting from micro-naps.
Salvador Dalí
The famous painter had a reputation for being an insomniac, he slept little because he worked a lot. However, he remained creative and productive. He had a little secret: The micro-nap ! As a specialist, he even invented his own “flash” nap technique : sleep with a key, he wrote.
During his naps, he would sit in a chair. He would hold a spoon or key in one of his hands and leave a plate on the floor. When the key or spoon fell, the sound of the impact on the plate would instantly awake him. The goal was not to sleep but rather to awaken his creativity! Dalí’s method resembles the alarm from our App.
Jacques Chirac
Former President Chirac was a celebrity known for being a fan of napping which we can see in the image above. He is enjoying a restful nap on his way to Concorde. He did not sleep much at night. But he did however take a lot of naps, especially in planes. For him, the nap provided him with a lot of goodness in his daily life and busy schedule.
In 2016, he even agreed to sign the preface of Bruno Comby’s book, “Eulogy of the nap”
In this book, the former president of the republic stated: “Napping facilitates the lives of those who practice it on a regular basis, the nap either puts you to rest or you can grant them to yourself in order to work the extraordinary niches of intellectual efficiency of the night.”
Léonard De Vinci
Very few people know this, but Leonardo De Vinci was not only known for his marvelous masterpieces but also for the micro-naps. He developed precise schedules and practiced the method of napping for many years and never felt tired.
The famous painter followed a very specific schedule: he would take a 20 minute nap every 4 hours throughout the day.
For him, this was the most efficient and useful way to maintain a good rate of productivity.
Albert Einstein
Finally, the biggest sleeper of all of our celebrities who slept an extra 10 hours a day ! In addition, he never deprived himself of sleep and regularly took “lightning naps” throughout the day.
In the same spirit as Salvador Dalí, he would take micro-naps holding a metal spoon in his hand that would then fall into a bowl if he fell asleep.
For him, this time was reserved to rest, to dream, but above all to release his creativity !
All of our nappers are known for making the most out of the micro-nap but for some of them, they also paid close attention to their diet in order to maximize their sleep and performance. Read our article to learn more: the link between sleep and diet.