I have been off work since December 23 and during this time, I have taken obscene advantage of the plentiful opportunities to partake in afternoon naps. Inspired by my cat, I have taken a nap every afternoon over the past nine days. Needless to say, the experience has been wonderful.
I normally limit these sorts of indulgent slumbers for weekends and use them primarily as a means to catch up on the sleep I "miss" during the week (I tend to sleep about five or six hours a night and am out of bed somewhere between 3:30 and 5:00 a.m. every day), but over the past ten days I have shamelessly allowed my weekend "privilege" to become a part of my day-to-day life.
Though I have tinged my description of afternoon napping with guilt-tainted words, I must admit that I have never felt guilty about sleeping an hour or two in the middle of the day. In fact, if I had my way, I would make it a regular feature of my daily life for the simple reason that it makes the day far more enjoyable and far more productive.
A nap in the afternoon essentially divides the day into two halves, providing me with the possibility to really focus on the things I would like to do or need to do in each half of the day. Yes, catching a few winks in the middle of the day does contain undeniable hedonistic elements (ask my cat), but it also offers immense benefits - such as the potential for an increased level of concentration in the late afternoon and evening hours.
Either way, it all ends when I return to work tomorrow. Instead of waking up at two o'clock fresh and ready to tackle whatever the world has in store for me, I will instead spend the early afternoon struggling to keep my head from peacefully nestling down on the keyboard.
Maybe I should start thinking about changes that could make afternoon naps a steady reality in my life. Now there's a life goal if there ever was one!
I normally limit these sorts of indulgent slumbers for weekends and use them primarily as a means to catch up on the sleep I "miss" during the week (I tend to sleep about five or six hours a night and am out of bed somewhere between 3:30 and 5:00 a.m. every day), but over the past ten days I have shamelessly allowed my weekend "privilege" to become a part of my day-to-day life.
Though I have tinged my description of afternoon napping with guilt-tainted words, I must admit that I have never felt guilty about sleeping an hour or two in the middle of the day. In fact, if I had my way, I would make it a regular feature of my daily life for the simple reason that it makes the day far more enjoyable and far more productive.
A nap in the afternoon essentially divides the day into two halves, providing me with the possibility to really focus on the things I would like to do or need to do in each half of the day. Yes, catching a few winks in the middle of the day does contain undeniable hedonistic elements (ask my cat), but it also offers immense benefits - such as the potential for an increased level of concentration in the late afternoon and evening hours.
Either way, it all ends when I return to work tomorrow. Instead of waking up at two o'clock fresh and ready to tackle whatever the world has in store for me, I will instead spend the early afternoon struggling to keep my head from peacefully nestling down on the keyboard.
Maybe I should start thinking about changes that could make afternoon naps a steady reality in my life. Now there's a life goal if there ever was one!
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