An ode to the nap

I have never been a good napper. I didn't sleep particularly well as a child, in fact I think I was almost into my teenage years before I started sleeping consistently through the week without a major interruption, normally very vivid and creative nightmares. And even as an adult I have had problems napping. If I want to take a "nap", a short nap always turns into at least an hour if not two.

So I've decided this week I need to master the art of the Power Nap. Here is why:

1. waking up early for training is great, but I get so sleepy early in the day. So a 20-30 minute recharge to get me through the day would be great.

2. I get quite crabby when I'm tired. Crabby = not good.

3. The DBF has a very wonderful job he loves working sometimes very long hours. In fact, a "normal" day has him finishing work at 8pm, and it's more likely he works until 9pm. Yesterday we even had a long discussion about how for the next month or so he may try to work at least two or three times in the week until 11. Though I feel as if I may have just become a "Lawyer Widow" for a few weeks, I told him last night that if indeed I master this Power Nap, I should be able to meet for a late night dinner with no problem.

4. Also, I think it's just a smart idea. Even if I get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, I rarely feel rested. But counter-intuitively, I can't really sleep in too late once the sun has come up. The Mediterranean cultures actively adopt a Siesta. So this Scandinavian princess is going to take one on too.

So after realizing that I had a somewhat innocuous Negative Tape that said:

I am not a good napper.

I decided I should change that. So this week my "project" has been napping. My first attempt resulted in a two hour nap and throwing me off for most of the day, but yesterday I took a 20-30 minute nap around 4:30-5ish and it was pretty great. I think ideally I'd like to get my nap done before that late in the afternoon, as I was worried I'd have problems sleeping, but I fell asleep just fine.

Sleep is important.

In fact, right now, in my two hour down time that I have between classes on Wednesdays, I am craving my power nap! Hooray!