I have been a dedicated napper since I was a high school teenager where I first discovered the joy of study class repose . Yes, many medical studies currently show that naps improve cognition response time and overall good health, but I never required medical justification for my beneficial addiction.
Napping on my office sofa — my favorite spontaneous nap spot
I fine-tuned my skills in Manila during World War II where the siesta is a national institution. However, in my early working years as a company employee my napping habit was frowned upon by philistine employers. From their benighted perspective my practice was considered a threat to their office work ethic, somehow being viewed as vaguely subversive.
Undeterred, I had to call upon all my cunning to find undetected office locations, even finding somewhat fitful rest in a stairwell. Later, when self-employed, I always saw to it that my office chair enabled me to comfortably put my feet onto the desk and instantly go under.
Now as a senior I am vindicated with many current studies to justify my cause. For example, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have found that napping an hour can dramatically restore and even boost our brain power. Amazingly they found that a nap can actually make us smarter!
Another study from Cornell Medical College found that neither long nor short naps disrupted night time sleep. The medical paper also suggested that the best time is 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. when we experience a natural dip in energy.
And if I may, I will present a totally un-scientific observation. I have long noted that for a more fulfilling nap, I do far better in a non-nighttime bed location. It is my decades-long experience that using the same bedroom both afternoon and evening can be a serious mistake. It lacks the spontaneity of making an impulsive decision to walk over to a nearby and inviting couch and effortlessly achieve a virtually instant state of somnolence. By contrast, when you walk into your assigned overnight location you are in effect saying to yourself: “I have made a formal decision to nap. Now I must do so!” I have found the latter choice far too challenging.
Whatever your decision, most of us no longer have to contend with a daily full time job. We can maximize the pleasures of our unregimented life. So if you have not yet explored the joys of naps, I urge you to do so and discover the instant magic elixir!