It's Time to Take a Nap: Do you get Enough Sleep?
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Now, why would I write a hub about napping? Silly me! Actually, not so silly! I take a nap most every day. I tell my family that I take a nap because I want to add 10 years to my life. I am serious! I really believe that it's true...we need enough sleep to live a healthy life. When my kids call (or my friends or neighbors) and they want to come and visit during the afternoon, I say, "how about after 4 PM? I have to take a nap." Between 2 and 4 PM I'm taking my nap. No, I'm not crazy! I just don't get enough sleep at night, so I make up those lost hours of sleep during the day.
My husband works crazy hours. He has to get up for work at 2 in the morning. Most of the time I don't drift off until he's up because I just know that alarm clock is going to go off. So, most of my sleep comes after 2 AM. I really don't like sleeping late in the morning so I'm usually up by 7 AM at the latest. This means that I only get 5 hours of sleep a night. So I make up a couple of those lost hours during the day by getting my 2 hour nap.
After researching longevity, I found that I was right. It is recommended that we get 8 hours of sleep a night. If we don't we should try to make up for it by taking a nap. Did you know that taking a nap increases our creativity? It also reduces stress, reduces our risk of having accidents and reduces our chances of having a heart attack!
Our immune systems are weakened by loss of sleep, therefore we have a greater chance of getting sick. Those who study the brain say that our memory is also affected by loss of sleep. They say that many parts of our body are regenerated when we are sleeping, especially the brain. Our muscles regenerate when we are either sleeping or resting, but others regenerate while we sleep.
I don't know about you but I want to live a long healthy life. I want to be creative and productive. I want to have a crystal clear memory! AND I don't want to catch every bug that comes around. So I take my nap...
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So glad for your visit. Yep, we need our "beauty sleep" don't we? Guess that's where that term came from...
Excellent! You give the great points, without being preachy.
Great... I always want to do this...nanny naps...we call them although I am not a grandma , my daughters 12! The Japanese can nap standing in crowded trains as they lead such busy working lives. I wish my Japanese sister-in-law could have read this...might have reduced stress enough for her to conceive! lol
An official directive to take a nap. Have I told you lately that I love you? This is great advice. Now just to have the time for a nap is the challenge.
I too, only get about 5 hours of sleep. My choice however. I don't go to bed until 1 or 2 am and then get up at 7 am for work. I don't have problems unless I have several days in a row where I go to bed at 2 am. As long as I am in bed by 1 am I do not get tired during the day.
I've been a bad sleeper all my life and today I'm really tired because I've had at least three bad nights sleep. So yes, I'm going to take a nap soon.
Hello everyone! Thanks for visiting! Without my nap I am a grouchy, lackluster snail. Well, that's my opinion anyway. My husband may say otherwise...(I won't say what he might think) (o: God bless and have a great evening.
Great info here, napping is great and you feel so good after even an extra 30 minutes sleep. Thanks for sharing this! Voted up!
The brain does need to recharge. Having a dream gives you more energy and refreshes the mind.
I take a nap everyday with my 2 year-old daughter. Now I have a GREAT excuse for why. :)
Carcro, I appreciate your visit. Holiday time is the perfect time for getting extra rest. It is so stressful for those who work and try to care for their families!
Rasta 1, I've not heard that dreams give you more energy. I guess it depends on whether it's a good one or not, right?
Kim, I did too when my kids were little. They just plain wore me out. God bless you and your little one!
Voting up. I think naps are great for most people...my major problem is that I don't want to get up!! :)
I do! I don't like to give up anymore hours of the day than I have to, so I get up...
I am a serial non-sleeper and I can really tell the difference in my concentration and memory after a couple of weeks of burning the candle at both ends. I would love to nap more often, I just feel like I should be getting something done every time I lay down to try and take a nap. Great hub!!!
The only place I can take a nap is in a car or on a cruise ship. Needless to say, I don't nap much.
I really think the U.S. is a nation of people never getting enough sleep, myself included. When I get a solid 8 hours night after night I feel so energized and ready to tackle life. But sadly, I don't ever get enough sleep these days. Naps are definitely a really good solution, as well as being healthy as you have written.
~voted up and interesting~
I do agree that we need to get enough sleep and without a good nights sleep I am like a bear with a sore head. But after a day time nap I am like a bear with two sore heads - not to be messed with. I think I need to train myself to take naps. Just watch out for me during the training process - :) :) Great topic, great hub, my votes!!
Vendor Mart; Thanks for reading. I'm praying that you'll blow out that candle and get some more sleep!!!
Breakfast Pop; Good morning to you. Pleased to have you visit. Those are two places that I can't sleep. The motion would make me sick. lol
KTrapp; It's sad but true. We Americans need to be more like the Mexicans and take a snooze every day! God bless and thanks for visiting.
Fennelseed; That's so cute. A bear with a sore head. (O: I wouldn't want to meet up with you in the forest!
God bless all of you! Susieq42
Excellent Hub. For years and years (small children, graduate school, etc) I got by on 4-6 hours a night. But in the lat five years or so, I see more and more articles talking about the long term damage we are doing to ourselves. Thanks for reminding us all that we may have to be creative to get the hours we need.
It's hard to give up our day time hours by napping, but in the long run we are much better off. If we expect to live long, healthy lives we must do our part!
gmwilliams Level 7 Commenter 5 months ago
Excellent hub. The majority of us do not get our prerequisite eight hours sleep often because of our busily insane schedules. This is why a nap often suffices for those eight hours. Great piece!