The Art of Napping

That’s it. I have decided that rather than just do research on Warfarin and write notes on bits of paper (that I am only going to lose then get frustrated because I can’t find them) I’m going to compile them into a book.  Other people must be in the same boat as me.  Maybe this is my job.  That’s it, I am going to get this sorted.

Okay… now what do I write? Wow! Is this what writers block looks like?  A blank screen.  Perhaps I should reschedule a couple of hours another day, because my brain isn’t working today.

Right, I’m off for a nap. My brain has been overloaded for today so it must be nap time.  I’m really good at naps, not so much book writing.  I have managed to perfect the art of the nap.

However, there are different types of naps one can take. I’ve been finding out all about this by reading research from the sleep foundation.  Wow, a sleep foundation.  Does anything get done there or do they just work hard on their napping?  Here is a link to their site:

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/napping

It even gives you top tips. But here are mine,

My 6 Top Tips for Napping:

1. Always make sure you are wearing something comfortable (no point trying to snooze with a pair of skinny jeans and a tight bra now is there?).
2. Make sure the platform you are napping on is one of comfort but not too comfortable or you will go into a full blown sleeping episode. (That was so last year! – when 16 hours a day of sleeping was the norm).
3. Find a nice small blanket to pull over during a nap (no point having a full fleece blanket – unless you are in Alaska - because you may wake early from your nap with a hot flush!).
4. Use earplugs to keep out noise (I have these on my key ring and use them in restaurants or busy places but they also work well for napping).
5. Use an UP by Jawbone wristband. It has a nap function on it and it will eventually work out what is your optimum length of time for a nap (mine is 17 minutes – I would prefer 90 but apparently I work best on 17 minutes). It is also good for vibrating an alarm to wake you up at the chosen time.
6. Work on your subconscious so that your mind and body gets what it needs from a nap and shuts out anything you do not need during that time (I worked with my mentor Martin Wyse on this. He taught me how to work with the subconscious for health benefits – see Recommended page).

For further reading on napping, see the following great article,

The Surprising Health Benefits of Napping