I just woke up from a nap.
After many years of napping, I think I’ve cracked the code - I set an alarm for 15 minutes, I fall asleep on my left side, the alarm goes off, I set another alarm for 5 minutes, I flip over to my right side, the alarm goes off, and I jump back into my day.
This seems to work for me. I always feel refreshed after doing this exact cadence. Any longer, and I might end up feeling groggy. Any shorter, and I end up wanting to sleep longer.
I have this theory that when we are children, we are forced to take naps, and therefore we internalize it as something negative. Then, when we become adolescents or adults, we pump our bodies full of caffeine, effectively eliminating our ability to take a quick nap, and we power through the day instead.
People who drink 3 cups of coffee per day will say stuff like, “I can never take a quick nap, I can’t fall asleep fast enough.”
Hmm, I wonder why.
I didn’t start drinking coffee until after college, and I never once had any difficulty falling asleep before that point.
I could fall asleep anywhere. In a car. On a couch. For 5 minutes. For 30 minutes. It didn’t matter. My body was ready to sleep whenever I wanted to.
So which is better — caffeine and no naps? Or no caffeine and a nap?
I’m sure there’s plenty of research on this, but test it out for yourself. Everybody is different. You might be surprised to find that when you can, a 20 minute nap in the afternoon (or morning) does more good for you than that second or third cup of coffee.
Happy napping.
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I just woke up from a nap.
After many years of napping, I think I’ve cracked the code - I set an alarm for 15 minutes, I fall asleep on my left side, the alarm goes off, I set another alarm for 5 minutes, I flip over to my right side, the alarm goes off, and I jump back into my day.
This seems to work for me. I always feel refreshed after doing this exact cadence. Any longer, and I might end up feeling groggy. Any shorter, and I end up wanting to sleep longer.
I have this theory that when we are children, we are forced to take naps, and therefore we internalize it as something negative. Then, when we become adolescents or adults, we pump our bodies full of caffeine, effectively eliminating our ability to take a quick nap, and we power through the day instead.
People who drink 3 cups of coffee per day will say stuff like, “I can never take a quick nap, I can’t fall asleep fast enough.”
Hmm, I wonder why.
I didn’t start drinking coffee until after college, and I never once had any difficulty falling asleep before that point.
I could fall asleep anywhere. In a car. On a couch. For 5 minutes. For 30 minutes. It didn’t matter. My body was ready to sleep whenever I wanted to.
So which is better — caffeine and no naps? Or no caffeine and a nap?
I’m sure there’s plenty of research on this, but test it out for yourself. Everybody is different. You might be surprised to find that when you can, a 20 minute nap in the afternoon (or morning) does more good for you than that second or third cup of coffee.
Happy napping.
