Yep, 18 minutes...I love my 18 minute nap and you know what?? It's good for me too!
Every afternoon after I've finished my work for they day there is a moment when there isn't really enough time to start a new project before it's time to start dinner and all of the evening's activities, and I've found this time to be a sweet time of the day.
Sometimes I make a nice glass of iced tea or maybe hot tea, and a snack (OMG I'm always starving too close to dinner time, but not close enough to eat dinner-that's another blog post) and I take a pause. Other times I take a little nap. A quiet moment all to myself! It is rest for my soul.
Side note: During this season of #workfromhome it has taken time for me to continue my routine even though my husband is working from home too. At first I felt like it meant I was being slack or lazy, but the truth is that was all in my head and self care usually needs to be instigated by self, including letting go of what I think other people think. It also helped me let go of my hangups to mention to him that this little bit of time is important to me.
My nap is 18 minutes long. Weird right? No! It was an analytical and researched decision. Yeah...I'm one of those.
Napping between 10-20 minutes is good for you- i.e. 18 minutes rocks!
Can boost your memory
Improve your thinking skills
May improve your mood
May reduce stress
May reduce heart disease
Sounds good to me! Who doesn't want all of that!
When we nap longer than 30 minutes we are at risk of falling into a deeper sleep, which also has health benefits, but can cause sleep inertia-you know, that fuzzy, groggy feeling after a nap. Listen to your body, if your body is telling you that you need a bear in a cave kind of nap, then do it. But for day to day naps it's good to go shorter.
Many people have had sleep inertia and now exclaim that they hate naps!! Nah, they just slept too long. Try setting a timer and giving yourself a little short nap. Your mind, body, and heart -possibly your friends and family, will thank you.
The bottom line is sleep is good for you and so is rest. You may not actually "sleep" during your nap, don't stress about it, you'll still reap the benefits.
Sweet Dreams!
Something we keep on hand for night time, just in case!
Natural ingredients to promote calm, restful sleep *
Gentle Sleep Complex* promotes calm, restful sleep with a unique natural combination of valerian, passion flower, and German chamomile.* by: Shaklee