I hate taking a nap. It’s not the actual sleep part that bothers me. It’s that feeling that I get when I wake up. I will fight myself and resist falling asleep in the afternoon, even when I’m sleep deprived, to avoid the awful groggy consequences. It just doesn’t seem worth it.
Napping was rarely a problem before I retired from teaching. Who can sleep with a class full of noisy, active students? There’s too much to do for relaxing to be an option. Napping was occasionally a weekend, and more often a Summer holiday activity. I still didn’t enjoy it.
Now Napping Opportunities Abound
These days with a flexible schedule, there’s more opportunity for napping danger. Besides illness, there is one surefire way to put me to sleep mid-afternoon: meditation. I can meditate in the morning, even first thing while I’m still waking up, and I will stay alert. But, if I meditate anytime after lunch my head starts to bob. Add in a rainy day, an early start, or a quiet house, and my resistance to sleep crumbles. I wake up 30 – 90 minutes later disoriented and annoyed.
Sleep inertia is the groggy, disoriented feeling that can accompany waking up. People with sleep inertia may be drowsy, move slowly, have impaired reaction times, or find their thinking to be fuzzy. They may not feel fully awake and may also have a strong wish to go back to sleep.*
My Napping Recovery Plan
There are steps to avoid sleep inertia that I will be trying next time I can feel myself losing my battle with a nap:
- Set a 20 minute timer on my phone before my head hits the couch cushion. A shorter nap is easier to rise from feeling refreshed.
- Afterwards, splash cold water on my face and seek out sunshine – if it’s not a dull, rainy day.
- Pop on a bouncy pop song and bop along to it to get my blood pumping, while the kettle boils.
- Then, drink a cup of tea with caffeine for the added boost.*
Drowsiness Is A Signal
Of course, the best way to avoid a nap is to listen to my body. If I can’t stay awake in the afternoon, my body is telling me something. Taking a nap is a signal that I’m not getting enough rest, or I might be getting sick. An earlier bedtime and fewer late night reading sessions are probably in order.
But, most of all, it’s telling me to avoid afternoon meditation!
What’s your relationship towards afternoon naps after retiring? Comment below.
*https://www.sleepfoundation.org/napping/why-do-naps-make-me-feel-sick
Retired, And Now What? 