Do You Need A Nap?
Nap Time – My Favorite Time Of The Day!
While in Seminary my Academic Adviser told me his fathers secret to a long a life. It was shortly after his Dad passed away and I asked Dr. Don Demaray what the secret to his long life was. Dr. Don’s response – “Since he was 16 years old”, his Dad “always took an afternoon nap.” Some might laugh, while others say naps are something we out grow when we get older. After all, we know kids take naps, but adults? Really?
I’m here to say YES, we still need naps, even as adults.
Following the advice of my Academic Adviser, I usually take a nap every afternoon. Of course I’m also up at 3:30am weekday mornings as I arrive at the radio station for 4am. The key to napping is a short nap. A nap is just that, a short time of sleep. It’s not sleeping for hours, it’s catching a few winks during the afternoon.
The Art of Napping
If you do find yourself napping during the middle of the day, don’t be afraid the boss will catch you. After all, he or she may be doing the same thing! A recent survey by the Pew Research Center discovered that 34 percent of Americans do take naps on a typical day. The survey also found that if you’re a man over the age of 50, the prevalence of napping is 41 percent!
Other findings of the napping survey…
- People who reported trouble sleeping the night before were more likely to catch 40 winks during the day, compared to those who slept well.
- Exercise makes people sleepy. 37% of people who recently engaged in a vigorous workout said they napped. That’s compared with 30% of couch potatoes.
- 18% of people surveyed who described themselves as “very happy” had taken a nap the previous day.
- When it comes to income, napping was most popular among people earning less than $30,000 a year. 42% said they napped the previous day. For people earning between $75,000 to $99,000, only 21% napped. But, when income climbs over $100,000, napping increased to 33%.
Yours in “napping” news!
Dr. Rus
