March 26, 2007

How to take a nap. For those otherwise useless periods between hiking your pants up to your nipples and complaining about the government.
posted by Fes 17 years ago
  • Would someone be kind enough to wake me from my 15-second nano-nap? Beginning now...
  • 45 minutes minimum, otherwise it seems a waste of having to wake up again. zznk - whuazza?
  • I had a great nap yesterday. I was lying on the couch reading in a beam of strong sunlight and sleep just overcame me :) it was very nice.
  • Those are the best naps, Medusa! Every once in a while, weather permitting, I'll stroll a few blocks to Central Park and take a nice 30-minute nap. I've got a favorite spot, located atop one of those large outcroppings of Manhattan Schist. There's a nice weathered groove that cushions my head just right - and on cool days, the warmth of the underlying bedrock and the rays from the sun are perfect for catching some rewarding zzzzs...
  • *Yawns*
  • I love naps. Another great reason for working from home.
  • Me too. Although i've also had that sleep inertia thing that the article talks about. Ugh. It's helpful to know you need to keep it to either around 20 mins or over an hour. Thanks for the post Fes.
  • Amen. A siesta is the distinctive activity of a civilised mind.
  • I had to turn 45 before I realized the sheer wonderful pleasure of an adult nap. Now I'm certain this siesta is something that should be mandatory during the work week.
  • I had to turn 45 before I realized the sheer wonderful pleasure of an adult nap. Either you were a late bloomer, or I am wise waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond my years.
  • I'm a nap champion - can even take them sitting up! The ten-minute mid-morning nap and the twenty-minute afternoon naps are my favorites. I like to follow the latter with an orange and a bite or two of dark chocolate.
  • Ok, here's a question for the nappers. Do you set an alarm? If so, what kind is it? I hate those end-of-the-world jangling ones.
  • I never nap intentionally, so either I wake up, or, more likely, the *^*%(&%^ telephone rings. its a really unpleasant alarm clock.
  • Alas, I am forbidden naps. On my work-from-home days, I have to be wary of the hours between 2 and 4PM. No reading during those hours! I love naps. A lot. Unfortunately, I'm unable to nap for less than 3 hours at a time. Kinda puts a crimp in the day's schedule, you know?
  • Often, if I try to nap, I fall asleep for hours. (I guess I'm another three-hour napper.) I'd love to try one of those MetroNap things, where you're actually woken up when your time is up, and there's someone else there to hold you to it. What the article doesn't say, that I have heard is true, is that you don't actually have to fall asleep to get benefits from a nap... it can be helpful to just recline and close your eyes or put your head down on your desk (like in elementary school!) for ten or twenty minutes. You may or may not drift off, and if you do, you may not notice. A company I used to work for had a nap room - a quiet, dark room with a couple of very plush recliners and a nice view. I spent all my short breaks in there, mostly reading. It was rarely used for napping by anyone else, but it was occasionally used when someone was sick and either didn't want to leave early or couldn't leave early because their bus wouldn't run until the end of the day.
  • Ok, here's a question for the nappers. Do you set an alarm? The naps I take at work - the ten- or twenty-minute ones - don't require an alarm. They're like subway naps in that I wake up once the apropriate amount of time has gone by. I always leave my office door open to guard against truly deep sleep (which is probably impossible anyway as I'm sitting up during my nap). Sometimes I've left NPR (Nat'l Public Radio to you furriners) on, as the music anouncing a new program at the top of an hour will jog me awake.
  • A company I used to work for had a nap room And you don't work there anymore!!!!!??
  • I sometimes nap in the recreation room at work. It's in the basement and there are lots of yoga mats. The trick is to go there outside of activity hours, like 11:00-11:45 or 15:00-16:00.