Naps. Babies take lots of them. Old folks take them. Lots of people take them and often refer to them as power naps.
I’ve never been one to nap unless I’m sick. Not that I haven’t wanted or tried to nap, it just doesn’t work for me. Many times, I’ve wanted to close my eyes and catch a few minutes of sleep. But, you see, it usually takes me about half an hour to simply fall asleep. If I only have 15 minutes in which to rest my eyes, I won’t fall asleep, I’ll just look like this.
I’ve never figured out how people can fall asleep so quickly. Or sleep with commotion going on around them. I have to have quiet for about half an hour before my body realizes that it should sleep. Even if I were lucky enough to fall asleep within that 30 minutes, I wouldn’t look like this while I peacefully nap.
Nope, I’d look more like this:
Yup, I’d be sprawled all over the bed, drooling or snoring, or both. It would not be pretty. And if I were to sleep longer than 20 minutes, instead of waking up refreshed, I’d pretty much be a zombie; sluggish and irritable. On the contrary, if I were to sleep longer than 20 minutes during the daylight hours, then you can pretty much guarantee that I’d be awake all night.
Naps have always been curses for me and that pisses me off because I so often wish I could take a cute, little nap and wake feeling refreshed and perky until well past 8:00 p.m., when I really start longing for my pajamas and bed and dark and quiet.
How about you dear readers – are you nappers? Can you grab a few minutes of shut-eye in the middle of the day and still get a good night’s sleep? I’d love to know your secrets.
Word of the Day: Yaupon
Fun fact about me: I try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every single night.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2015. Photos courtesy Google Images.
I actually nap almost every day for about 10-15 minutes and sleep better when I do. I started doing this several years ago after reading Say Good Night to Insomnia by Gregg Jacobs. He has a relaxation tape and I listen to it most everyday after lunch and usually sleep for 10-15 minutes somewhere in the middle of it. Makes all the difference for me, but I’m still ready for bed by nine, but I get up at 4:30 so I guess that makes sense!
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Wow – I am so jealous. It’s always nice to find tips and techniques that work well for others. I might give that a try, but it’s hard when you have a job outside the home to find a quiet place to close your eyes for a few minutes. I love the idea of waking up refreshed to take on the second part of the day.
Good for you Kate! Keep it up.
Thanks for stopping by with the suggestion.
Patricia
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I agree being self-emplyed has it’s benefits and you know the other thing I believe is not everyone needs a nap so if you don’t I wouldn’t stress over it either. And I don’t like to nap after about 2pm because it messes with going to sleep at night.
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I LOVE naps! I have no problem falling asleep. My body is so well trained that if I’m lying on the couch watching a movie, I will be out in no time. It sucks sometimes as there is a lot of rewinding I have to do to watch the parts I’ve missed when my eyelids get heavy, but oh well. A quick ten minutes here, twenty minutes there is enough to reenergize and make me face the rest of the day. Happy snoozing!
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I agree it’s a practice thing and you may have to set a timer so you don’t sleep too long. It does take a few minutes to get going but once I do I’m golden.
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Oh, I’d definitely have to set a timer or I’d sleep for hours.
Patricia
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Good for you Jessica! You’ve found something that works for you and you’ve stuck with it.
I agree with the re-winding part of the movie, as my husband frequently falls asleep while we’re watching. Best invention ever – DVR.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week.
Patricia
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I’m like you, Patricia – unless I’m sick, naps just don’t work for me. Which sucks sometimes when hubby guilts me into taking a nap with him. He snores while I lay there, thinking of all the stuff I need to do, but if I try to sneak away…of course, he wakes up. It’s a cruel life. Have a great week!
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If I could fall asleep as quickly as my husband I wouldn’t even need a nap. His head hits the pillow at night and he’s out. Me? I need at least half an hour head start.
It is a cruel life, but it’s my cruel life and I’ll take that any day over the alternative.
Thanks for visiting today. I’ll see you over at your site this week I’m sure. I always look for your posts.
Patricia
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Sigh. I could’ve written this post. I am so envious of people who can take a 20-minute nap and feel refreshed! I only nap if I’m sick and/or take Benadryl, and when I do, I’m a zombie for a good while afterward. Like you, I try to make up for it by getting a good 7-8 hours sleep a night, but sometimes that doesn’t work either.
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I so hear ya Jennette. Napping eludes me. I’m glad there are people who see benefits from it, but I am not one of them. Nor am I usually able to get 7-8 good quality hours at night either, but that’s an entirely new post. Stay tuned.
Have a great week.
Patricia
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I’m not a napper. The few times I’ve conked out in the middle of the day left me wide-eyed at three in the morning, so if my eyelids get heavy during the daytime, I drink a big glass of water. (Dehydration mimics tiredness.) A former co-worker used to stretch out on her office floor and “power-nap” for 15-30 minutes during lunchtime. She swore by it. If I tried it, the cleaning people would have found me still asleep and drooling at six p.m.
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Me too, Pat. The janitors might even call 9-1-1 and say there was a zomobie in the office!
I love that some people reap great benefits from a nap. I’ve never been a napper.
And the added benefit of drinking that big glass of water is that it’ll keep you awake because you’ll have to be running to the bathroom every few minutes. No napping for water drinkers.
Thanks for visiting today.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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I dream of being a napper, but alas, I am NOT. Our pal, Piper Bayard, can close her eyes for 10-15 minutes and be totally renewed. Not me. If I close my eyes, they’re closed for a few hours and I cannot sleep that night.
Like you, all bets are off if I’m sick, but in the day-to-day, there are no naps happening at my house, unless it’s the Hubs or the child.
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I’m finding that most people stopping by today with comments are either very rewarded by naps or not able to even grab a few seconds of shut eye. Funny how that seems to work. There’s no middle ground here.
I have a friend who can fall asleep anywhere. We often catch him nodding off and we laugh at him. He always responds with “I’m not sleep, I’m praying.” I love that answer. He’s the godliest man I know.
Thanks for popping over from the very active More Cowbell blog today. Things are heating up over there in a really weird way.
Patricia
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Yes, things are positively STEAMY at More Cowbell right now. In all sorts of odd places. However, I really wanted to find out if anyone else was napping. We sure as hell aren’t.
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No napping here either, Patricia, although I’ve been known to occasionally fall asleep on my keyboard. 🙂
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So you don’t nap Sheila, you just go straight to sleep, no passing “Go” no collecting $200? Good for you. Who needs a silly old 20 minute nap anyway when you can have a good long hour or two sleep?
Thanks for visiting today and letting me know your napping habits.
Patricia
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