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Sleep deprivation deprives you of, er, sleep--but in turn, it also impairs memory, concentration, and ultimately, productivity. So whether you're drowsy from last night's (extended) happy hour or just being that dedicated, hard-working designer that we know you are, a quality power nap could definitely up your alertness. Wired's got a How To Wiki that involves a cup of coffee and 15 minutes of Z's.

Scientists say that a successful midday nap depends on two things: timing and (no kidding) caffeine consumption. Experiments performed at Loughborough University in the UK showed that the sleep-deprived need only a cup of coffee and 15 minutes of shut-eye to feel amazingly refreshed.

1. Right before you crash, down a cup of java. The caffeine has to travel through your gastro-intestinal tract, giving you time to nap before it kicks in.

2. Close your eyes and relax. Even if you only doze, you'll get what's known as effective microsleep, or momentary lapses of wakefulness.

3. Limit your nap to 15 minutes. A half hour can lead to sleep inertia, or the spinning down of the brain's prefrontal cortex, which handles functions like judgment. This gray matter can take 30 minutes to reboot.

via lifehacker