I have never been much of a nap-taker. Even when I am feeling sleepy, if I lay down and try to nap, daytime sleep evades. Interestingly enough, I usually do not have any trouble falling asleep at night. My occasional bouts of insomnia are usually due to a book that I find too interesting to put down.
It may be a genetic thing. My sister is also not a nap-taker, and my daughter never willingly took a nap when she was little. My husband easily takes naps, and I must confess that I am a bit envious of his napping ability.
Shorter days
Now that Daylight Savings Time is over and most folks have fallen back, it is taking me some time to get used to these shorter days. I find that I wake up extra early but begin to turn into a pumpkin much earlier than I would like.
It occurred to me that a short nap in the afternoon on days my schedule would allow might help with the transition. Since I’m retired, I felt sure I could work it into my day. The problem of not being a nap-taker was still an issue, so I decided to do a bit of googling to see if there are any tricks to daytime napping. Also to find out if it is even a good idea.
Naps are a good idea
It turns out that according to Johns Hopkins, “People who napped for 30 to 90 minutes had better word recall – which is a sign of good memory – than people who did not nap or who napped for longer than 90 minutes. People who napped for that golden 30 to 90 minutes were also better at figure drawing, another sign of good cognition.”
A study conducted by Axel Mecklinger, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Saarland University in Germany, revealed that sleep improves memory performance and that even short naps during the day are beneficial.
From everything I have read, it looks like the essentials for the best napping environment include a dark space and a quiet place.
“Let’s start by taking a smallish nap or two…”
Winnie-The-Pooh.
Napping culture
Naps are not a new thing. Nap taking called Siestas has been part of the culture in many of the warmer climates. It is a practice believed to have been introduced by the Romans. Allowing their labor force to take a break from the hot afternoon sun and then work later into the evening.
According to sleep.org, siesta culture is on the decline – possibly due to air conditioning and global market pressures. Nevertheless, the practice has value in increasing productivity and lowering other health risks.
Not a napper?
There is plenty of evidence in support of napping. However, there are times when it just isn’t going to happen. Sometimes it’s bad timing, other times it is simply our minds not cooperating with us. I have found that even when I don’t actually fall asleep, a quiet time for rest and reading still seems beneficial to me. I am an avid ‘cozy mystery’ reader and the process of trying to figure out ‘who dun it’ gives me a period of pause from daily issues and responsibilities.
Nap wrap
It turns out that afternoon napping has more value than previously thought. It improves our memory and helps our cognitive abilities.
Interestingly, like yawning, the suggestion of taking a nap may be catching. After doing research about napping this afternoon, I have found myself getting a bit sleepy. I resolve to give the whole napping thing another try. If I find that I still can’t fall asleep, perhaps I’ll finish up my latest mystery and find out who dun it.
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