Napping, Time Well Spent

Do you like to nap? I love to nap. I tell people I live to nap. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a nurse and learned to sleep at odd times of day or if that’s just the way I am, but I try to squeeze in a nap – even a five minute one – every day. Humans seem to fight it, as if napping is a sign of weakness. Heck, we also seem to have competitions with each other to see who has had the least amount of sleep and is the most tired. Animals must be smarter. They nap a lot – some more than others. They likely know something we don’t.

Lots of research over the recent years have pointed to the benefits of napping. I know a lot of people say that they can’t nap because they fall into too deep a sleep and that is a problem. But if you’re able to take the light 20 to 30 minute naps, it makes a big difference. Sometimes, for me it only takes a 10 minute snooze. And, I’m not alone.

According to a new study, a third of adult Americans take daily naps and they’re not all slackers. In fact, some very important people in history were nappers. They include Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy.

In 2007, a study came out that said napping could improve your heart health (Afternoon naps may boost heart health ). Researchers followed 24,000 subjects, some who napped and some who didn’t. The researchers found that even after accounting for outside factors such as the food they ate and their levels of physical activity, those who napped at least three times per week (30 minutes or longer) had a 37% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who didn’t nap.

But how do you become a napper if it’s not your thing? Here are some tips that may help:

• Choose a quiet, dim place, but not too dark that you’ll be lulled into a deeper sleep
• If you can’t lie down, try to find a way to recline a bit. If you can’t do that, sitting up is possible, but you have to find a way that you’re comfortable and you can relax.
• Plan your nap. Tell yourself you’re taking a 20/30 minute nap and that you’ll wake up fresh and alert. You may be able to use your watch or cell phone to set an alarm. That way you won’t worry about oversleeping
• Use an eye mask, as used on airplanes, if you need some darkness.
• Allow yourself to nap. Sometimes, this is the hardest part.

Do you take naps? Do you have any special tricks to share?

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Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com