My step daughter called me during her lunch hour yesterday and we talked for 15 minutes or so. She needed to “vent” to me. We don’t have your “normal” step family deal. We’re more like friends. We are very close to the same age and we see eye to eye on a lot of things and she needed to get some stuff off her chest.
Anyway, after she got done, she said “I have 10 more minutes till I have to be back working so I’m going to try to catch a nap.” I thought to myself “holy cow, how can anyone do that? To just be able to fall asleep that way so easily for such a short amount of time.” I need to set the whole “mood” thing when I take a nap. I shut the blinds. Get my book. Take the phone off the hook and try to have anything that distracts me put away or turned off. It’s hard for me to fall asleep.
So later on that evening, this was the Good Question on our news. Does napping make you smarter? I can really see how this could help a lot of people. I do have questions about it though. My first question is where does everyone go to sleep? I know a lot of people who go nap in their car. I could never fall asleep like that. This is what the news story said about one of the stories: “His office has a quiet room called “The Haven,” originally designed for nursing mothers, but now used by all staff members who want to recharge.”
I can really see how it would work but I can also see how many problems you could have. I do feel if people can “cat nap” this way and fall asleep fast, sleep for under 20 minutes, that it would improve a lot of things. I don’t think there would be that lagging late afternoon sleepiness and I do think you are more productive if your’re not tired.
What do you all think? Do you nap? Do you think this could work in the workplace? I can just see Paul roll his eyes thinking now he has to make sleeping accommodations for his employees!! LOL!!!
Us Girls..Our Views 
I used to take a 20-30 minute “power nap.” It was just like I slept all night. But that was when I was younger and had more energy. Don’t know how that works exactly but now if I were to take a nap it would be more like a 1-2 hour snooze.
I can’t take “cat” naps… I feel more tired and out of it after than I do before. If I get VERY little sleep one night .. I might sleep for 2-3 hours the next day…but that very rarely happens.
I’m the opposite of you mssc. I used to need to sleep for an hour or two but now I need one hour but will only sleep for 20-30 minutes. That feels perfect but Lucy, I never could do this when I was younger. I used to be able to nap like you, 2-3 hours.
Back when I used to do “all-nighters” fairly frequently, I might take a short “power nap” wherever I was. I napped on the floor of my office, and later when they had a nursing room, I’d go in there. It wasn’t comfortable, so I’d only do this if I was extremely tired. (Since I didn’t have a lock on my office door, it was always in the back of my mind that they’d think I was crazy(er) if anyone walked in there while I was napping under my desk, LOL.)
I am actually really good at falling asleep on anything softer than concrete. Waking up is my weakness. If I have something super urgent to do, somehow I manage to get up, but otherwise, I’ll just keep going back to sleep until the “power nap” is just a plain old nap or even a night’s sleep. Might as well just plan on a longer stretch of sleep in the first place.
I can’t sleep in any position other than lying down. If I try, I will get a horrible stiff neck/sore back, completely defeating the purpose of the power nap. So napping at my desk is not an option.
I have to be laying down too SKL. I can fall asleep in my recliner though. Man, I love that chair. In the lay down position it’s almost laying flat.
I think naps are recharging! Unless over 20 minutes like you said. That is a good rule of thumb, my mom use to tell me over 20 and you will feel more tired. It is so true. I like 15 minute ones every now and then. Great for work too!
I never could take naps when I was younger. Now I can lay down, shut my eyes and drifted away for 15-30 minutes. Then I brush my teeth and feel completely fresh again! 🙂
Dan also take naps at his work, the airco is very cold at his work, so now and then, he goes during his break to his car. The car is warm of the sun and he falls asleep for 20 min. It did happen though that he woke up after an hour!
I was never a napper, but then I can reliably sleep 8 hours at night. I lay down, and within ten minutes, I’m out. (and now that I have a new bed, I’m sleeping like a ROCK)
But now – particularly in the last 6.5 years, since Josh has been in my life – there are days when I get bone-tired. So tired I can’t think, function, or almost even walk! Those days, I’ll go up and take a REAL nap. I put on the PJ’s, get into bed, set the alarm, and knock off for a couple hours. This really only happens once a month or less.
But taking a nap at work, if I worked in an office? Absolutely not. Because I may have the unmatched talent of being able to fall asleep almost anywhere, anytime (a feat only surpassed by my older brother who has that freakish talent)… I’ve inherited my dad’s freight-train tendencies. I snore. And it would probably get me fired!
“Freight-train tendencies” Oh Laura, how you make me laugh. How I wish I could fall asleep as fast as you can. I love it also when I go up for a real nap. I hardly ever go to my bed for a nap. I close up the living room and sleep in my chair if I can.
P.S…. Joy, I LOVE that picture of Maddie!!! Cats crack me up.
That is cute isn’t it? Little pixie is in my chair too. She doesn’t fall asleep like this much anymore. As she’s gotten older, her position now resembles a curled up ball.
Little power naps are recharging.Sometimes just closing your eyes and turning off your brain is refrehing.i like that idea at work.i do know a couple of co-workers who do that at lunch.The last 10 min is for their siesta time
MADDIE GIRL!!! She’s such a little diva. Spoiled thing! 🙂
I can’t take naps unless I am sick. During my day, week days, I have kids here and even when they are napping, I can’t. That would cut into my computer and ME time. And I would just lay there wondering if they’d wake up when I was sleeping. Even on the weekends I can’t seem to do it! I feel like I am wasting time. Kind of like a kid who won’t go to sleep because they’re afraid they’ll miss something! I’m like that at night too. I HATE going to bed, but once I’m there I am soooo happy! I sometimes stay up till midnight for no good reason! So does Jason and I don’t know how he does it. 5 hours of sleep can’t be enough. My 7 seems to be okay, but 5! IDK!! He does take a nap when he gets home though, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. He can take 10-15 minute naps! He can also fall asleep anywhere! I can’t, I need a comfy bed, or at a least couch!
I do thing they are good for recharging our batteries, and I wish I were able to fall asleep in a matter of minutes and only sleep for 10!
The power naps are the best, most refreshing. ever notice when you start taking naps the next day at the same time u feel like you need that nap again? I dont like that so really try to avoid it if possible.
I hear you Vicki. I do think naps are addictive and once you start doing it, you need to keep doing it. It’s like your body shuts down at that same time each day. I guess for me it’s between 1 and 2 in the afternoon and it really doesn’t hurt anything if I lay in my chair so it is something I’ve become accustomed to. I never used to be able to take my phone off the hook like I can now. I used to worry “what if something happened to someone” but now I just think, they can wait an hour.
I have been known to nod off for 20 minutes or so every now and then. It usually happens if I didn’t get enough sleep the night before. I usually nod off on the couch and for some reason my kids can’t stand it so they usually try to wake me up!
A few years back my husband and I went up to Indy to see the first Formula One race. The hotel room we had was horrible so I did not sleep much. We went to the track to watch practice the day before the race and I nodded off while sitting in the stands while the cars were on the track!
You guys are making me feel ve-e-e-ery sleepy!
I can take a 20 min nap easily. I’m not always the most alert when I wake up, but I come around. I fall asleep easily at night within about 10 minutes of going to bed and usually sleep pretty well. I am very thankful for sleeping as well as I do!
I still take “power naps” @ work- in my truck,…we only take 30 minutes for lunch, so I’ll eat for 5 or 10 then sleep for 20. works for me.
I know a lot of people who are able to do that DM and I’m so envious of you for it.