Why you need a nap
Posted
Nov 07 2008, 03:50 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Hey, you with the half-mast eyes: Put that coffee down and tell me how you're feeling. Rested, alert and upbeat? Ready to take on the world, or at least to accomplish everything on today's to-do list?
That's what I thought. You need a nap. We all need naps. A 20- to 40-minute snooze can change your mood, improve your cognitive abilities and maybe even save your life.
Oh, and it's also a frugal hack. More on that later.
Americans are a drowsy bunch, according to the National Sleep Foundation. An NSF survey conducted earlier this year produced this scary tidbit: 36% of respondents have "nodded off or fallen asleep" while driving.
Taking public transit is sounding better all the time. That is, assuming the bus drivers get enough shuteye.
Miss some Zs, lose some $$
An article about the NSF survey quoted Dr. Samir Fahmy, director of the sleep lab at Kings County Hospital in Manhattan, as saying that "economic loss from sleep deprivation or sleep disorders generally is huge." Fahmy cited decreased productivity, loss of income, medical costs and legal fees as some of the major consequences of a lack of shuteye.
An article from Harvard Health Publications notes that studies by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration show that 40-minute naps "improved subsequent alertness and performance" of flight crews on long rotations. Even a 20-minute "power nap," the article says, can "improve alertness, psychomotor performance and mood."
A too-long nap really could keep you up at night, so be sure to set an alarm. When it goes off, get up -- but don't jump right into work that requires concentration. Move around for at least 10 minutes, maybe getting a drink of water and doing something that's not too demanding, before you go back to finding a cure for cancer. Or fixing dinner.
My dad, for quite some time one of the most overscheduled people I ever knew, was a master of the short nap. After supper he'd lie back in the recliner, say "Wake me up in 20 minutes," and fall instantly to sleep. He called it "taking 20," and those short naps really did keep him going.
Obviously, this technique won't work for everybody. Working parents, folks with more than one job, and anyone going to school while also working are particularly unlikely to be able to take 20 after dinner. Unfortunately, they're probably the ones most desperately in need of a quick doze.
What about a daytime nap? According to an article from Psychology Today, a midday snooze can dispel "those feelings of irritation, frustration and declining performance on mental tasks that set in during intense encounters with new information." In other words, maybe a nap will help you perform well enough to get that promotion.
Maybe you could take your 20 in your office with the door closed, or in your cubicle during your lunch break. (Set a cell phone alarm, make a "do not disturb" sign and let it be known you're off the clock.) Heck, a friend of mine has been known to nap in his car.
Drowsiness can cost you
But what's this got to do with frugality? Plenty. Suppose you nod off at the wheel on the way home -- workers' comp can't help you. Got sick days? Neither do I.
You'll have to shell out medical co-pays if you're lucky enough to have insurance; a lack of coverage can land you deep in the hole. There's also the matter of fixing your crumpled car -- and maybe the other guy's whiplash. And suppose your own injury knocks you out of the work force for a while. How long could you go without a paycheck?
Or how about this: Ever get home from work so exhausted that you don't have the energy to cook even a simple meal? Takeout or deliveries can get pricey, and eating cereal from the box or Spam from the can is not good for you (see "medical co-pays," above).
Then there are the quality-of-life issues. Tired people are less likely to exercise, which leads to more health issues. You may be too tired to socialize, and isolated people don't always have the healthiest habits either. Maybe chronic weariness makes you snap at your partner or your kids.
Of course, a good night's sleep is the best defense. For some people it's simply not an option. That's not ideal, but it's their reality. Strategic naps might be the answer until their situations change.
According to that Harvard article, naps between noon and 4 p.m. work well. For me, a nap works best whenever I can get one. Sometimes that's right at noon, sometimes not until 6:30 p.m. But at least two or three times a week I'll lie down and set the alarm to ring in one hour. Inevitably I wake up in about 40 minutes.
Taking 20, or 40, helps me move through five or six 17-hour days each week. Again, not ideal, but it's where I am right now.
I know that others out there are getting even less sleep, which is even less ideal. Here's hoping that power naps make a difference. As for those who actually believe they can get by on four or five hours of sleep, I hope none of you are bus drivers.
