Nap! Create Down-Time! Energize Thyself! by Janice Taylor, Life & Wellness Coach, Cert. Hypnotist, Author, Columnist and 50-pound big-time-loser. (write Janice for a free consult)
The Exhausted Modern World.
The modern world puts enormous value on being as productive as humanly possible, which translates into working through lunch, staying late at the office, scheduling play-dates up the wazoo (or is it gazoo?), taking extra classes. .... You name it, and we're trying to fit it into our schedules. Our calendars are about to go up in smoke!
It almost feels punishing, doesn't it?
When exhausted you function less efficiently, feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and guess what ... you eat way more. Your body is sending signals that you are low on energy, because it needs more fuel to keep going!
Downtime/Nap Time: A Natural Part of Your Day.
Napping is an opportunity for our minds and body to take a break. Many mammals take naps; and in other parts of the world, napping a.k.a. siestas are worked into the daily routine.
Napping Promotes Health and Well-Being:
30 minute naps promote physical well-being, improve memory and mood;
20 minute naps sharpen your senses and revitalize you; and
10 minute naps can improve mood ... feel happy!
If possible, take a nap at the same time every day and use an alarm clock (initially, anyway, until it becomes a part of your routine).
New point of view: Napping is essential to my well-being. It's okay to crawl up in a corner for a few minutes and close my eyes.
Spread the word, NOT the icing!
Janice
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This is a very timely suggestion. I first heard the term POWER NAP when President John Kennedy was in the White House. It was reported that he took several power naps daily while riding in the limo between appointments, etc. I started experimenting with the concept and have enjoyed the release the past 40 plus years.
I drive a motor coach part time. Tonight I didn't get much restful sleep and have to drive over 200 miles one way today. After I unload the bus and begin my return trip home, I will stop off at a Rest Stop, change into my shorts, tee shirt and get at leaast a 30 minute snooze. I know how these things revitalize a sulking, tired body and how it rejuvenates the mental aspects of the body.
Thanks for this article. I will forward it on to some energetic friends of mind.
HI there - I have been napping for years and simply could not cope with my life without it! I am a high-energy person. I teach aerobics and attend many other classes during the week. I also dance on stage and rehearse every week - perform every second week. Without rest / naps, life is unbearable. The better I nap in the day, the better I sleep at night! It simply works for me. And strangely enough, a lot of my friends / peers look down on me for napping. Even my mother seems to think that is a "weakness"! Hey - if only they knew / understood - this is a strength!!!
My Dad is 70 years old, i'm 40 and all of my life, i have known him to have naps. Every night after work, he would lie down and say , 'i'm away to have 40 winks', and off he'd pop too 'the land of nod'.
Now he does it every afternoon, after work. Yes 70 and still running his own business, up at 5am every morning ,preparing the way, for the rest of the day, to operate smoothly, so he can relax during his nap. He looks like a man in his 50's, i swear it's thanks to his sleeping pattern and habit's.
I am a 54 year old guy who thrived on projects, busyness & just being awake! Didn't want to miss anything. I remember as a child, sitting in the back seat of the car while my parents drove me & my sisters to Pittsburg Pennslvania from Louisville Kentucky. I stayed up the whole time looking at each blade of grass admiring evey tree, wondering wondering wondering how people came to live where they live etc etc. I even hate to go to bed at night, now! But lately i have started taking naps everyday around 3:00, 4:00 in the evening & the one thing i have found is, i seem to be more energetic the rest of the evening, more alert & able to carry out my part time janitorial job more proficiently! So as a late comer to the lazy practice of napping, i'm all for it, wished i had partaken years ago instead of hissing at those lazy bumbs who i thought were somewhere off hiding or worse. The world has a leg up on us with this napping thing!
At the risk of sounding like a spammer there is an alternative remedy for napping in the office or at home. Because I suffered from the pain of a herniated neck disk I couldn't lie on my stomach. I ultimately invented and patented the SquidFace and ComfyRest pillows to relieve my pain. These pillows enable me to lie facedown comfortably and breathe without turning my head to the side. Many unexpected benefits evolved including taking a nap at my desk while facedown and still breathe. Hopefully this can help many others. The list of benefits are on SquidFace.com
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