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#MicroblogMondays 59: Take a Nap

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Napping is apparently good for your heart health.  This is just one more way I’m shortening my life since I am terrible at napping.

I used to nap, back in college, but now I find that naps mess up the rest of my day.  I wake up groggy and feel mentally displaced the rest of the day.  If someone were to offer me nap time, I would probably politely tell them that I’d love the break, but I’d rather use it to read.

How do you feel about naps?  Love them?  Still take them?  Can’t live without them?  Or they do more harm than good?

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1. Persnickety 12. Loribeth (The Road Less Travelled) 23. Traci York, Writer
2. articulation 13. Parul | Happiness & Food 24. Suzy at Someday Somewhere
3. Mali (A Separate Life) 14. Isabelle 25. Journeywoman
4. No Kidding 15. Shilpa 26. Turia
5. Jessica 16. Failing at Haiku 27. Good Families Do
6. Naba 17. Solo Mama 28. Just Heather
7. Middle Girl 18. Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) 29. Amber
8. Jen (Days of Grace) 19. Daryl 30. Anks
9. Charlotte 20. Dubliner in Deutschland 31. Kasey
10. Delenn 21. illustr8d
11. My Path To Mommyhood (Jess) 22. One and Done?

37 comments

1 Nabanita { 10.12.15 at 5:17 am }

Well, it depends on what day of the week it is for me..I love napping on weekends but on weekdays, when and if I’m home, I prefer not to nap and spend the day doing something worthwhile..

2 Persnickety { 10.12.15 at 6:11 am }

Another non napper here. I find that it makes me groggy and ill. So I only nap if I am really tired or sick. Mostly I prefer to manage tiredness by going to bed earlier. But my husband naps a lot. And persuades me to be in the bedroom while he snoozes, and it makes me sleepy. So I have less of an adverse reaction now, so I kind of think it is also training the body.

3 md { 10.12.15 at 6:14 am }

i like the idea of naps, but they totally make me groggy and headachey, so never take them unless am sick… however, i must also admit that since having the twins, putting them to bed at their nap time (or their bed time), inevitably involves me falling asleep too, even if only for a few mins 😛

4 Bea { 10.12.15 at 6:38 am }

I am just post nap. I needed it today, but I will probably regret it tonight.

5 SuzannaCatherine { 10.12.15 at 6:49 am }

During my “younger days” I never napped. Weekdays there was no opportunity and weekends were too busy catching up on everything that was ignored during the week.

Nowadays it’s a different story. I consider my naps as restorative time. Time for my mind and my body to just be still.

6 Mali { 10.12.15 at 7:04 am }

A Sunday afternoon nap is one of the great pleasures of life! I’ve had too many late nights recently, and needed my nap yesterday. I haven’t read the article yet, but I understand that if you only have half an hour, you’re less likely to wake up feeling groggy.

7 Jen { 10.12.15 at 8:02 am }

I cannot nap. I find it hard to fall asleep and any short sleeps I do take leave me feeling much worse.

8 Middle Girl { 10.12.15 at 8:03 am }

Naps are out of the question on weekdays. I have dozed on the bus going to or coming from work, but . . . well, I’m on public transportation so dozing is not the best course.

I can nap on the weekends but don’t much unless I have a headache or am otherwise feeling less than 80% alive.

9 Valery Valentina { 10.12.15 at 8:17 am }

naps are great when recovering from pneumonia. I sleep for 1.5 hours, my toddler wakes me up when she finishes her nap, a little snuggle time and we are ready for an afternoon of adventure, groceries, playground and cooking. I’ll miss that when I start my next project. But the 15 minute powernaps between coming home and dinner that my DP does are not for me.

10 Charlotte { 10.12.15 at 8:33 am }

I love naps!! My dad always took a nap, from as far back as I can remember, even if he just had 20 minutes to close his eyes. He had a couch in his office at work for this purpose.
I don’t get to take naps much anymore, but when I can I do. There is a fine line between a refreshing nap and one that makes you feel worse. Sometimes, a 20-30 minute power nap can make all the difference in reenergizing and making you more productive the rest of the day, and doesn’t screw up going to sleep at night.

11 Jess { 10.12.15 at 8:37 am }

Sometimes a nap is the perfect antidote to feeling crappy. I have taken naps when I’ve come home from a taxing day at school, or on the weekend if I’m fighting a cold. It’s harder than it used to be though… sometimes I know if I take that nap I won’t sleep as well at night. A short nap can be rejuvenating, but accidentally sleeping for 45 minutes or more can ruin the rest of the evening/day. Unless I have a migraine. Then naps are a survival tool.

12 Delenn { 10.12.15 at 8:38 am }

My husband is a total napper and it drives me crazy…so much so that I hate those studies, cuz they justify him! He always says he is going to nap for ten minutes…and thirty minutes later I am trying to get him up to do stuff!! 🙂

I can only seem to nap occasionally…usual when I am desperately underslept…and when I am sick.

13 Ana { 10.12.15 at 8:51 am }

I cannot nap. If I sleep mid-day, it’ll be for several hours, and I’ll wake up groggy and sick to my stomach (not sure why that is). I envy those that can fall asleep anytime anywhere for any short amount of time & wake up refreshed. Apparently I stopped napping around 1 1/2 years of age (my poor mom!)

14 Jenn { 10.12.15 at 8:52 am }

I feel you on the groggy part. I learned to nap when I was 23 and worked on a dude ranch for a couple months. I had some split shifts plus I was getting glutened and was really fatigued. I utilized my new-found skill when nannying. Only when the kids napped and when I had everything done I needed to, of course! It came in helpful in early in my pregnancy as well. Sometimes nap helps and sometimes I feel worse after. Sometimes it can help a migraine go away and other times it gives me a migraine. I used to only nap with my son if I knew I would be asleep before noon. Now I can nap later than that but will run the risk of not being able to go to sleep that night. I need a nap formula to determine if I should take one or not.

15 illustr8d { 10.12.15 at 9:17 am }

I strongly suspect meditation gives similar benefits. (Thinking Jon Kabat Zinn at UMass Med’s program specifically for cardiac patients.)

Generally no naps unless ill here.

16 loribeth { 10.12.15 at 9:33 am }

I’m with you. I was never a big napper (just ask my poor mother, lol), but I did nap some when I was in university. Not so much post-university, though, and I generally dislike naps for the reasons you’ve mentioned — I wake up feeling groggy & out of sorts. I will sometimes still nap if I haven’t had a good night’s sleep or I’m sick. Like you, I would rather read. 😉

17 Parul { 10.12.15 at 9:36 am }

I love naps. Sometimes those power one leave me refreshed and ready to go again. But getting the time to nap is not easy at all.

18 Isabelle { 10.12.15 at 10:15 am }

I used to think that naps are a waste of time. Then my perspective changed. Nowadays, I will nap if I feel like it and won’t feel guilty about it. I do wake up groggy, but I know that I will get over it. I get a lot more productive after I get over the grogginess from my naps.

19 a { 10.12.15 at 11:00 am }

I love naps! 15 minute desk naps, 2 hour weekend naps, 10 minutes on the couch when I just can’t keep my eyes open…

Maybe I should get more sleep at night.

(I get groggy for a little while, but it’s worth it!)

20 Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) { 10.12.15 at 11:32 am }

Here’s my thought: if you can’t nap, maybe it’s not what you need. I love naps. And since I’ve been dealing with sleep issues and fatigue, naps are really helpful for me.

21 Lindsay { 10.12.15 at 11:38 am }

I LOVE napping! I especially love that my daughter naps. The day she stops napping is going to be a very, very sad day in our household. There may even be tears (mine).

22 Daryl { 10.12.15 at 12:02 pm }

I used to be incapable of taking a nap shorter than 3 hours, but since my daughter was born, I’ll take a nap any time or place I can get one, for as long as it lasts!

23 Working mom of 2 { 10.12.15 at 3:19 pm }

Naps usually make me feel the same way–groggy and bleah. The only time I really indulged and felt decent was when I was pg with #2, on weekends during #1’s nap.

24 DublinGal { 10.12.15 at 4:02 pm }

If I have a big event that evening I sometimes take a 20-30 minute “power nap” in the evening before getting ready and I find it definitely helps me to have more energy later on! Any longer than 30minutes though and you wake up more groggy.

25 One and Done? { 10.12.15 at 5:12 pm }

When my thyroid is a mess I NEED a nap. That’s really how I know my hormone levels are out of range. 🙁 I imagine as I get further along in my pregnancy I may return to my daily napping. It may be a matter of finding your napping sweet spot – for me I need about an hour, whereas if my husband naps for more than 30 minutes he’s a mess.

26 Traci York { 10.12.15 at 5:35 pm }

One of my dream jobs is, “Professional napper.” I’d make millions, and never retire. 😉

27 Suzy { 10.12.15 at 7:21 pm }

I love napping. Been doing a lot of that lately as I’ve finished working for the year and feel so much better. But when at work … hmmm how to nap?

28 nicoleandmaggie { 10.12.15 at 8:01 pm }

If I can nap, then I am either sick or pregnant. The only time I’ve been able to take naps while healthy and not gestating was while in college or under the age of 2.

29 Turia { 10.12.15 at 8:44 pm }

I used to nap. Then I got pregnant with E., and I have never been able to nap since. Weird, no? I used to joke that if I ended up pregnant again, maybe the ability would come back, but it looks like I’m stuck with non-napping.

30 Amber { 10.13.15 at 1:05 am }

Naps do tend to make me feel worse sometimes, but I have to say I love nap time at our house! It is a much needed break for this momma right now. Sometimes I nap when the kids do, sometimes I get a lot of housework done, or blogging, and sometimes I just take the opportunity to rest.

31 anks { 10.13.15 at 2:54 am }

I take naps when I am sick… only when I am sick.. other days, a nap is a waste of time!!!

32 Lori Lavender Luz { 10.13.15 at 9:16 am }

I rarely nap. I feel like doing so steals from my nighttime sleep, which is already pretty spotty. Sometimes on the weekend, though, I will take an afternoon nap. It often feels glorious, decadent.

33 Kasey { 10.13.15 at 12:36 pm }

If I can get the time for a quiet nap 45 minutes is amazing. Long naps usually only if I’m sick. And if the kids are home/awake/loud reading is better than sleeping. Noisy naps just make me feel more sluggish.

34 nonsequiturchica { 10.13.15 at 2:29 pm }

Naps are the BEST. I set a 30 minute timer which is enough time for a few minutes to fall asleep and then a quick nap to keep me rested for the day. Oh how I love naps.

35 Cristy { 10.13.15 at 2:29 pm }

I never napped before the Beats. Now I find I will drop off for a couple of hours when they do. On the one hand, I do feel better in the evenings. On the other, that period of quiet time is so precious because it allows me to do things I normally struggle to accomplish with two 2 yr olds in tow.

Grey is all for naps. This study will make him very happy.

36 JustHeather { 10.14.15 at 2:41 pm }

I’m like you! I generally prefer to not take a nap as if it isn’t long enough (sometimes even if it is long enough) I am just too groggy and grumpy for the rest of the day. I find it is even worse if you think you can get a nap, and then the kid who is napping wakes once you’ve almost been asleep for 10 minutes or so. Your body is then thinking it will get rest and it is tricked. Ugh! And my husband doesn’t understand that at all. He can nap.

37 Justine { 10.14.15 at 4:03 pm }

I’m also not very good at napping. Except at night, when it’s more like falling asleep in my daughter’s room while I’m waiting for her to go to sleep. I guess I’m bound to die early, too.

My husband, however, is a pro napper. He will live forever.

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