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Are Daily Naps a Waste of Time?



When I nap for over an hour I wake up tired and depressed.  It seems like a good part of the day is gone, wasted.

I tried shorter naps with a timer set for 30 minutes.  The problem is how I keep resetting the timer for 5 or 10 minutes more until I just let myself go into a long nap.  The result again is waking up tired and depressed.


From google images


What seems to work for me is what I call a short "caffeine power nap":


1. Right before you crash, down a cup of java. (I use tea.) 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.
From  http://lifehacker.com/306029/reboot-your-brain-with-a-caffeine-nap
What works for you?

Comments

  1. I'm currently sick and healing from a few things and in the healing process, naps and resting are a must. I don't see them as a waste of time. Though I never use a timer. Just rest, repeat as needed.

    Have a great weekend and boogie boogie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You do need your rest when you're ill. I hope you get better soon.

      Delete
  2. I love my naps. They are a luxury because I was the mother of four and I also had to work. Now that I do not have those responsibilities I take a nap most afternoons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good, I want to get into taking naps even if I can only get into short ones.

      Delete
  3. I don't nap. Never liked to as a kid and now that I am almost seventy I still don't want to :)
    Food for thought though...thanks John~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I might be able to get into short 15 minute naps. I'll have to try it and see if I like it.

      Delete
  4. "... a waste of time?" NO! I love to nap. Usually I read for a bit before I fall asleep, but whether it's 10 mins or an hour, I always feel better after an afternoon nap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm going to try napping, at least for short naps.

      Delete
  5. I enjoy naps very much, particularly during the winter season. They really help me re-energize. But I never really plan on sleeping when I lie down. I'm an avid reader, so I take a reading break, which sometimes leads to dozing off for a bit :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like falling asleep while watching TV late at night.

      Delete
  6. I've never nap on purpose only in cases of extreme exhaustion. My mother said I never naped much as a baby/toddler either. I remember never falling asleep during naptime in Kindergarten. I hated it, it was so boring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't get into long naps. Maybe short naps will energize me.

      Delete
  7. When we are very tired, my husband and I nod off in front of the TV. There might be train crashes going on and it doesn't wake us up! This only happens when we are very tired. Other than that, I am a sound sleeper and don't nap that much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When the TV show is not interesting it feels great to fall asleep.

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  8. I might if i sit outside in my chair, but not always. Have been known to once in a blue moon to nod off before bedtime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I rarely nap but I'm experimenting to see if I might like it.

      Delete

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