Today N.A. and I came home from work, laid down in bed to talk, and then promptly fell asleep. I woke up two hours later with a sniff neck, angry red indentation on my face from my watchband, and groggier than when I got home.
Yup, folks, I've confirmed it: naps suck.
A long nap always seems like a really good idea when I'm riding the bus home from work or sitting in the second of three hours of a faculty meeting.
A nap seems like an obvious choice to wake me up before a weekend evening event.
Yet each time I succumb, the result is the same. I'm never rested, and I'm usually crankier than when I started.
At the risk of sounding like a teenager, I've got to ask, "am I doing it wrong?"
17 comments:
Yes, you are doing it wrong. A good nap only lasts a half hour to forty minutes. Anything longer and you reset your daily clock and fuck yourself up.
Certainly the two hours was far too long. I've tried napping in 20 min, 30 min, and 40 min increments before, too, and that didn't work either. Perhaps it is my alarm clock?
Only a quick nap is refreshing to me, but I also like to wake up on my own as opposed to an alarm. Drinking a bunch of water first seems to do the trick ;)
I don't like naps either. I have a really hard time falling asleep during the day (but no trouble at night), so setting an alarm for a 30-40 min nap doesn't work. When I do sleep during the day, I often find I'm worse off too.
You may have to experiment. In college, the perfect nap for me was an hour and a half; that left me well rested and feeling great. Now, I think 45 minutes is best. As far as I know, you need to figure out how long your sleep cycle is so you don't wake up in the middle of REM, etc.
For me it is all about the time. 30 mins seem to be my limit. More than that turn me into groggy and cranky person....
then again, I can't nap at all after 6 pm since I will never fall alseep later on then.
I should have said, with one exception. Napping on the couch after dinner and before bedtime seems to be the best sleep ever. THen of course, I am goggy and go to bed directly after "waking" up so maybe I should call that time "pre sleeping in bed nap"? ;)
ScienceGirl: Ah, the old drinking water trick! Not a bad idea, especially since dehydration is often the underlying cause for said fatigue!
EGF: Glad I'm not the only one!
THE: Now experimenting I can do!! :-)
Chall: Wow! A post-dinner nap? I would never fall asleep, I think. I've got such night owl tendencies as it is, that I'm sure I wouldn't fall asleep until at least 2 am!
I love naps. In fact, when I have weekends off, a mid-morning or mid-afternoon nap is definitely a planned-for event.
I have to agree with everyone else that it's all about the timing. An hour is about the right time for me. I feel refreshed, but not too groggy.
Amanda, I just cannot imagine planning for a nap! Hmm... I do plan for TV time though, so perhaps I should adjust my priorities!
Oh, but naps are wonderful. Maybe I just wish I was 5 again.
There is an optimum length of time for an arvo nap. Supposedly it's about half an hour, but I think it must be a personal thing. An hour works for me and I find there's nothing more indulgent or luxurious. *sigh*
u.s.: I envy you and all your fellow nap-lovers!
Naps are really good. They get scheduled in around here a lot. I have to watch them though - 30-40 minutes is about right for me, or otherwise I fall properly asleep for 3-4 hours - but it's the BEST sleep I ever get, so refreshing!
The water trick is good (especially if you have that tiredness/headache which might be dehydration - rehydrate, and doze whilst your system responds to the water, then have it wake you up...)
Also, I strongly recommend preparing for a nap by taking off watches, bras, undoing or removing trousers - you don't wake up feeling so crumpled that way.
I'm no good at naps either - regardless of the length of time, I wake up feeling worse than before I went to sleep.
I can't do naps, unless I'm either sick or really hungover in that New Year's Day / day after Hallowe'en party kinda way that thankfully happens less and less often these days! I usually can't fall asleep, and when I do, I just have weird trippy dreams. Best avoided!
I can't fall asleep on planes either, BTW - how about you?
I am also very anti-nap. I don't understand the passion with which most people talk about their napping.
My MIL HAS to nap all Sunday afternoon. If she doesn't, all hell breaks loose. Between 1pm-4pm in her household, every single person tucks down for a mid-afternoon sleep. When I am visiting, she literally will not get up to say goodbye if I have to leave before she gets up.
forgo naps and drink more coffee!
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