In the past it took me so long to come down and turn my brain off, that once I went to sleep I stayed asleep for an hour or more, and then felt worse afterward. And I felt super lazy.
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| An old picture of Ralphie dog who took his nap into the bed this day. It's easy to get in the nap mood with this guy around. |
Short naps are beneficial for lots of reasons and as I have been getting better at them I have found that I feel good (not gross and groggy and angry) after a SNAP (short nap) of about 15-30 minutes, and I am way more productive throughout in the day. I still sleep well at night, but don't have that overly tired-my-body-weighs-a-thousand-pounds-I'm-going to-die-if-I-don't-get-to-sleep-this-instant feeling.
Since I work at home I can SNAP at any part of the day, though the
2 o'clock hour calls my name. When I taught school I would often get
home, do a few things and lie down for like 15 minutes and close my eyes. Even that little bit was beneficial for the rest of my evening.
Some days don't even allow a 15-30 minute
break - I get it. Some days go by and I wonder if I brushed my teeth.
But on the days that do allow a short break, here are my
thoughts to get you going.
1) Don't
feel guilty - this is going to make you more productive, and probably nicer.
2) Turn the ringer/sound off on all phones (All it takes for me is one small bing somewhere in my house and I assume the best news of my life has just been emailed to me and who can rest then!)
2) Turn the ringer/sound off on all phones (All it takes for me is one small bing somewhere in my house and I assume the best news of my life has just been emailed to me and who can rest then!)
3) Find a good nap spot - I like napping
in my bed, but many people prefer a sofa or guest bed or their desk chair. It's helpful to have one spot you always nap in.
4) Get a blanket - even when it's hot -
just in case. Your body can rest better if it's a little warm.
5) Get the right audio- I like quiet, but
my husband likes sound. Noise canceling
headphones with spa music could be good.
6) I think it’s a good idea to nap in a
different sleep position than you normally sleep, so I make myself lay down on
my back. It’s comfortable, but a less
deep sleep for me.
7) Don’t get too comfy - stay in regular
clothes, don’t have it too dark in the room, etc.
8) Have a thinking strategy to turn your
brain off. This is vital for me. I count backwards slowly starting at 40.
Sometimes I don’t make it past 30, but if I get all the way to zero then I just
start over from 50 or something.
To me the hardest part of a nap is to concentrate on relaxing and to NOT think about what else I should be doing or what I need to remember to do when I get up and oh yeah I have to email that girl and oh crap I have to get those clothes out of the washer before they get stinky and I wonder if I bought feta cheese when I went to the store and oh man this lame nap is over and I didn't even rest. I HAVE to turn my brain off.
Here are a few ideas from the internet
that I don’t love, but found interesting enough to share.
- Drink a few sips of a caffeinated drink before you power nap. It
will take a smidge to kick in and help you wake up and feel alert when the power nap is over.
- Hold on to your car keys while you nap. When you go
deeper asleep you will drop them and ideally wake yourself up. OR, my Dad's "good idea," to hold a cup of water on your chest when you lie down and... I think you see where his plan is going.
In a perfect world, that I do not live in,
I would like to exercise AND power nap every day without exception. A short nap, on the days it is possible, help
me feel human though. I can make it to
9:30 at night this way instead of eyeing
the clock at 7:30.
I think Tired Girls can relate - when we get too tired (or too hungry actually) - we are all Robin Williams in this Snickers Commercial - we get a little loopy. My thoughts make about as much sense has his idea for balloon animals. A power nap could help this guy. And a Snickers always sounds good as well.
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