the joy of naps

I haven't been feeling 100% over the last month. Between stress, a cold, and a persistent cough I just can't seem to get caught up on sleep and my anxiety level seems to be on the rise. But even when I am feeling great I will rarely pass up a 20 minute nap. It is interesting that people aren't encouraged to nap more often. A short rest can help refresh the mind and prepare you for the remainder of the day.

When I was pregnant I almost always took a nap during my lunch hour. And I have been seriously thinking about how I could possibly work in a nap time once I start back to work. But isn't the loss of naps a larger cultural issue? One that says, if you're not working all the time then you are wasting time? I just don't agree with that line of thinking: when I nap I prepare myself to be more productive in the afternoon. When I take a break from a major project to take a short walk it helps me to collect my thoughts and take the project to the next level.

Consider this perspective:

Sara C. Mednick, a psychologist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., has gone a step further. She says that naps can help even people who get plenty of nighttime sleep. In the lab, she took well-rested subjects and tested them with and without naps. She found that those who napped did better on various tests of cognitive performance than those who did not.

So nap away, friends. Nap away.