Naptime

It has been cold and snowy all week where I live.  Cold weather always tempts me to do one of two things:  crawl under a quilt and read or crawl under a quilt and nap.

Napping is becoming more and more essential in today's world of tablets and smart phones and overbooked schedules.  Books are being written on how to nap, the benefits of naps, and the enjoyment of naps.  Businesses are encouraging naps as a way to increase productivity.  Clinics are being created to study sleep deprivation and its effect on our health.

While daily naps have not been accepted in America, medical research is finding that lack of sleep is actually a danger to our health.  Sleep deprivation increases our stress which can lead to high blood pressure.  According to the National Sleep Association, 100,000 highway accidents a year leading to 1,500 deaths are due to fatigue. Not getting enough sleep can stop your immune system from functioning properly which leads to more frequent and longer lasting illnesses.

Now a nap here and there is certainly not going to take care of all the sleep deprivation that America suffers from.  But it can't hurt either.  Naps tend to refresh us.  They allow our minds and bodies to relax.  This increases our ability to accomplish things and to make fewer mistakes.  We are more likely to be sociable when we are rested. Our anxiety and depression will lessen.  It is even thought that if you think of a problem before you go to sleep, the solution will come while you're sleeping.

Naps are good for our creativity.  They counterbalance the busyness of our lives that doesn't leave any room, energy or ideas left for our art.  It gives us that extra boost our souls need to do something fulfilling for us.  How many of you want to do anything but be a couch potato when we are tired.

How long a nap last varies from person to person.  Some people feel refreshed after 15 minutes; some need an hour or more to feel any rest.  Some need dark and quiet while others doze just as well in a crowded room.  (I had an uncle who slept through every family gathering for as long as I remember and we had pictures to prove it.)

So if you find yourself overwhelmed this week, frustrated that you can't accomplish what you want and not wanting to be around anyone, take a nap.  It will do you and the world, a universe of good.  Nighty-night.

 

© 2018 – Cheryl Fillion