Napping 101

Well, It seems every thing I read today had something about taking a nap so when I got home from work I laid down and took about a two hour nap.

Now I am a big fan of naps. I have always taken naps. When my children were little we always laid down together. When they got to be five or six years old they didn't need much of a nap but their mother did. They would pick at each other and make noise until I finally had to separate them and insist we play Quiet Mouse. Trouble with that was I was always the first one asleep. They learned very quickly to be real quiet until i got to sleep, then they could get up and play and not wake me up. They must have passed it onto the grandkids because they played the same trick on me.

When I worked graveyard shift I got a 30 minute lunch break. Summer and winter you would find me in my car taking a 25 minute nap. A couple of times I overslept and the boss had to come looking for me.

I noticed in the RV Dreams Forum there is a category called Nap Time. It had some very interesting comments and reasons people take naps.

There have actually been studies done on napping and it has been found that daytime naps help relieve stress, prolong life and help the heart. Napping a half hour for three times a week you have a 37 percent lower risk of dying from a heart attack.
Naps also help to improve your memory - they give your brain a chance to consolidate new knowledge. Power naps can be as refreshing as a good night's sleep of 8 hours.

National Napping Day was established in 1999. It is celebrated the first Monday after the beginning of daylight saving time. It is said the reason is to help adjust to time change. This year it was celebrated on March 10, 2008. I missed it, I must have been napping.

It is time for us nappers to lie down and be counted. Here are my reasons for taking a nap.

Napping improves my mood.
Napping is inexpensive - it doesn't cost anything.
Napping is a no sweat activity - it won't wear out my joints.
I don't need doctor's orders for a nap - mine is self prescribed.
I can not gain weight - I can't eat when I am napping.
Napping has no dangerous side effects - as long as I am not driving.

In the words of my Father, "That's it for today". If you are looking for me you will find me checking my eyelids for leaks.