Some of you who have been thrown into home work during the pandemic may recently discovered the magic of a lunch nap. I am lucky to have worked at home for years, and I have long said that naps are one of the reasons why I do not think I could never return to an office. (That, and icy air conditioning.)
Research abounds on the advantages of a day nap. Studies show that making a short nap in the afternoon can help:
- Boost your mood
- release stress
- Support your immune system
- lower blood pressure
- Improve memory
- regulate emotion
- Increase labor performance
- and help your brain connect new information
But if science does not convince you, allow me to suggest a few other reasons to take twenty-minute naps part of your daily (or at least occasional) practice. I am a professional tablecloth for life – and A Defender of Rest– And I am happy to share what I discovered.
The case of naps
- Jump caffeine
Most of us feel a crisis after we have been aroused for about eight hours – moreover around 2 or 15 hours the next time you do it, plan to enter a cat nap instead of another cup of coffee (if you have the option). For me, the afternoon caffeine is random, but a nap is a sure thing.
- Inviting inspiration
Honestly, NAPs are part of my writing strategy. When I hit a wall on a project, I will move on and let the challenge simmer at the back of my brain. When I add a nap to this simmer, I will often wake up with new ideas and an ability to see new connections and solutions. Naps can be an instant pot for creativity.
- Surrender control
When we believe that we are the source of everything and good, we start to think that the world could stop turning on its axis if we do not. Imagine exhaustion. (And arrogance?) When we let go and suits, we recognize, at least a moment, that life continues very well without us – a good reminder for us all from time to time.
- Human being
Pay attention to the needs of your body – and meet them graciously – can start you in your physique and remind you that you are not super human. You are just human, which is enough.
- Become vulnerable
To rest your head on a pillow (or a sofa or even a car window) in the middle of the day is a vulnerable thing. You go from the engine and the coach to the unprotected living body. You put your defenses and trust your environment. You get away from the race, at least for a little while. There is something to say for what this kind of practice can do for our souls. And our self.
- Softening the wonder
Stoping it to breathe and rest can open up to things that are not part of the linear, busy and motivated world of work and realization. What could you notice or discover if you let your brain fall asleep for a few moments during the day?
- Trust your body
It can be easy to spend life not listening to your body. Or, maybe you listen, but you don't really believe what you hear. And if you trusted feel somnant A message, a need and an invitation from your physical self – to stop, rest and reset?
Authorization to take a break
For those of us who sometimes find our value in what we accomplish, a nap may feel counterproductive but, ironically, a nap can often make us more productive– and the practice of stopping, breathing and rest can allow us to work better. Consider this your Slip permission to fly thirty minutes for yourself.
I want to recognize that I am aware of taking a nap is an option that some people do not have. Jobs may not allow it, workplaces may not respond, responsibilities and requests may not leave room for this. But I also know that some of us believe We have no space when we do it. (Note to oneself: twenty minutes spent taking nap could do a lot more than twenty minutes of unhappy scrolling.)
Take a nap
If you are new in the nap, there is Advice that can help improve your napAs keep it short (twenty minutes for an hour or more) and synchronize it (mid-afternoon against too late during the day). And people suffering from insomnia should probably skip nap and consider meditating instead. Beyond that, try to grab a pillow, close your eyes and drift. You might be surprised by what you are discovering.
At least two naps were made when writing this piece. Who is ready for another?
Julie Rybarczyk is an independent writer, a blogger in good weather and an empty Nester mother who lives alone and loves her. She is perpetually the coldest person in Minneapolis – so most of the year, you will find them under layers of wool, behind cups of smoking tea. Or on social ones at @Shortsandlongs.
