some thoughts on napping
31 Mar 2022in the last 6 months i’ve given 2 napping workshops and i’ve got at least one more coming up before summer. here are some thoughts that i’ve had before or in them:
- many adults who don’t nap believe they are bad at napping
- we were all babies so we have all napped
- there are many reasons why we stop napping. they include (but aren’t limited to): our parents needed us to stop, we wanted to stop, our school or daycare situation needed us to stop, trauma.
- adult naps are (mostly) different than childhood naps.
here are things i’ve learned…
from dave madan, my friend and original (adult) nap teacher:
- 5-15 mins is a solid power nap. more than that is tough.
- power napping is just a reboot. it’s just unplugging and replugging your system. it’s not meant to be a full sleep cycle.
- nap in a position that is not where and how you normally sleep. this can help your body know that it’s not deep sleep time.
- nap midday and then eat after you nap. eating can help transition from post-nap energy into the rest of your day.
from the nap bishop’s (aka tricia hersey’s), instagram and/or the perfect nap:
- napping isn’t about falling asleep; it’s about resting (though sleep might happen). attaching to the goal of getting to sleep often impedes resting.
- rest when you need it; not when it’s convenient. “we have to rest, and rest now.”
my nap lessons since the pandemic has started:
- 5-15 mins works for me when i’m not sick. when i am sick, all bets are off and sleeping as long as i/my body wants is the name of the game.
- using a sleep mask and a weighted blanket is ::chef’s kiss::
- the better i can notice my eyelids dip in the post-lunch timeframe, the better the nap. as soon as i notice that first droop, i drop everything and get horizontal if i can.
- it’s a practice that takes time to develop. the more i do it, the better i get at it.
- it didn’t take as long as i thought to get napping into a regular (2-4x/week) part of my days.
- in order to nap, i have to deal with my thoughts and emotions
- in order to make space for naps, i’ve also had to subtly reshape parts of my life to make napping fit (aka doing less things per day, keeping more open space to fit naps in, getting clearer about how quickly i do/don’t want to respond to emails & texts, etc.)
- jaime tan’s 15min session via the insight timer is my fav nap support. i have listened to it so many times that i know most of it by heart. i can tell which naps i fall asleep in because i can’t remember her saying certain things or doing certain parts of the body scan.
some other thoughts
- the brain isn’t a machine. more time focusing what needs to get done doesn’t always mean more solutions or better work. remember the brain works even when you’re not facing the problem. in fact, some problems are best solved this way.
- remember, when you die, your inbox will be full
- naps (just like mcmindfulness) could contribute to furthering capitalism. but in the praxis of tricia hersey, rest, real rest, is anti-capitalist. politically, i prefer the latter. as she says, naps are not the point. but, imo, if naps are where you start, please start somewhere. and if napping helps you/us discover what’s most important and then prioritize what you/we can leave behind, then lfg.
ps - i’ve donated to tricia (well i tried to with tricia but couldn’t figure it out) and jaime for their work. if you dig their stuff, you should, too (if you can)!
words / writing / post-processing
546w / 15min / 10min