Most feel an energy slump when afternoon strikes. And when you're at work then this could be bad news because you won't be productive for the remainder of the day. According to CNN, one good solution that experts see to combat this is taking a nap.

If our previous notion of naps were negative and we thought that this could be bad for sleep and bad for our health, we need to change this way of thinking. Different studies have now surfaced proving that naps are essential and are even part of a healthy sleeping schedule.

Our bodies are even telling us to take naps, so why defy them?

Natalie Dautovich, PhD of the National Sleep Foundation's Environmental Scholar and assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, says that they key is in taking the right amount of sleep. The ideal nap should take less than 20 minutes. This will give you an improved alertness and consequently an increased performance - just what you need for the second half of your day. It's critical to keep it under 20 minutes because you go over this timeframe what happens is you will fall in a deep slumber and it will be hard to wake up from this.

Rebecca Robbins, PhD of the NYU School of Medicine and co-author of Sleep for Success added though that if you've missed on some hours of sleep the night before then a 90 minute nap is what's good for you. Doing this will restore your mental and physical energies. Dr. Robbins also stated that the best time to take that nap is between 2:00-4:00 PM.

To successfully take naps at work, Spine-health advises to first check with your company where the designated sleeping areas are then find a comfortable position or bring with you a pillow, eye shades or restful music to help you sleep. With these tips in mind, you'll be having power naps and productive afternoons at your office every day. Just don't forget to set the alarm.