Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

“I used to run with the wolves. Now I nap with the cats” saying on a button

Next to reading, napping is my favorite activity. That sentence should read that napping is my favorite inactivity. Whatever. I like to take naps and working at home allows me to do that whenever I want to. I nap in my recliner, on my bed and in an Adirondack chair on my patio, where on nice days I read in the sunshine after lunch. Science tells us that our natural biorhythms dip in the early afternoon, and anyone who has ever had to attend a meeting or class at 1 p.m. can corroborate the research.

Many famous people have been nappers, including John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, Leonardo DaVinci, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Gene Autry.

A new book, Take a Nap! Change Your Life by Dr. Sara C. Mednick claims that a short nap can boost your productivity by 34 percent. According to Dr. Mednick, a complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Therefore, the benefit derived from napping depends on how long you sleep. Twenty minutes takes you to Stage 2 sleep, which increases alertness and motor skills. Forty minutes, results in slow wave sleep, which improves memory. Sleep for a whole 90-minute cycle, and you will experience deep sleep and increase your creativity.

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2000 Poll, 67% of Americans are sleep-deprived. Sleeping too little can cause irritability, memory loss, depression, weight gain and even diabetes.

The lesson is simple. Stop reading and go take a nap. You’ll thank me for it later.
©2007 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved