Napping

Linda Bittle
Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

Does anyone else find that weekend napping is almost a medicinal thing?

I have a pretty active job as custodian in an elementary school, and I can go from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday through Thursday, with only half an hour for lunch and a 15 minute sit-down break at 3:30. Now I'm not saying I'm not exhausted at the end of the day. But I can come home, take care of the dog and cat, get myself some supper, and do at least a few chores before bedtime. (I have it in my planner to be in bed at 9 pm so that I can read a while before turning off the light.)

My Friday job is bookkeeping, so I can at least do it from a chair, at home, and while wearing sweat pants. Usually about 5 hours with a trip to the post office and possibly the bank. Sometimes it's a bit mentally stressful, but way easier physically.

Weekends are for housekeeping, yard work, church - when I have the energy to get out and go. Even though I can sometimes sleep a bit later and set my own schedule it seems like I cannot get through a Saturday or Sunday without a nap. It's almost like all the stress of the work week needs to be released by the extra sleep.

I enjoy my naps. I don't think it's a bad thing. Churchill was supposed to be a napper. I just wonder why I need the nap on the less stressful days instead of the ones that I work my butt off...

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It is when you slow the physical activity that you realize how tired you really are. The naps are a good thing if they do not upset your regular sleeping schedule.

    When you work hard a nap is a real luxury.

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @Mary Linda Bittle I owned my own business for about 30 years with multiple locations in wholesale, retail and manufacturing. I enjoyed my job because there was so much variety so for me to work 100+ hours per week was entirely normal. During major holiday seasons that usually raised to 135 hours per week. So obviously I was at work 7 days per week. It was a continuous go...go...go all day long.

    Now yes what I did give up was what I called ...A LIFE. There was no time to fit it in anywhere.

    But now I'm retired and I was a caregiver for my parent for about 4 years and again it was around the clock. So yes it was a little slower but you can imagine how taxing that could be because she was in poor health.

    I've lost my mother now so my daily routine has slowed down. For the last 2 years I've went out and got a short-term part-time job somewhere but I always left it thinking why did I get it to begin with. I don't need the money and I can think of better things to do with that time. So I'm slowing down and there is some days which I do feel like I'd love a nap. Some days I actually sit in a chair for a few minutes with all intentions to take that nap.

    It never happens only because when I sit a cat always decides now is a great time to get some attention from Mom.

    But I still believe, if I can get my mind to slow down and just enjoy the moment, the day will come when I can sit down and just enjoy those few moments of luxury called a nap.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes, luxury is what I'd call it!

    When we had the daycare, the kids would always fight nap time. I never understood why they didn't want naps, because I'd have given anything to be able to take one there!

  • jjocean
    jjocean Posts: 31 ✭✭✭

    I'm a biphasic sleeper for sure. I usually work in the shop till midnight or one am then get up between 530 and 630 then take an afternoon nap. I spent 40 years short of sleep and this most natural sleeping pattern has restored me. Three cheers for naps. I swear after I quit the 8-6 work routine it took me a year to catch up on rest.

  • gennywu
    gennywu Posts: 96 ✭✭✭

    I come home from work around 4:30, tired and burned-out. I find that I am able to do quick naps - I sit down and close my eyes and slumber for about 15 minutes. It is all I need to feel refreshed and ready to make dinner and take care of household chores. If I can keep it short, it doesn't affect my sleep at night. I can't always find the time to nap - when I don't, my whole evening is wasted, fighting against the tiredness to get things done. I guess for some of us the nap is necessary.