It’s a daily ritual: My two-year-old’s footsteps can be heard slapping across the kitchen floor and onto my bedroom hardwood. My arms reach out for him even before he throws his chubby arms upward to come snuggle with his Mommy and Daddy. It happens every morning, like clockwork, at seven a.m. Except that yesterday it was unusually dark when he did this. My husband took a bleary-eyed look at his cell phone. “It’s not even six yet!” He exclaimed, when our son gamely jostled him and stated, “I wan’ bekbas” (breakfast.) I peered at my alarm clock through one gritty eye. “It’s seven.”
“What the heck?” We both asked in unison. Oh yeah. Fall Back. No one told us. No one told our kiddos’ internal clocks either. That’s why we’ve spent the last two days dispirited and fatigued–bedtime is really here, only the clock says we have to muster for a whole hour more. It’s brutal, I tell you. Hence, I am taking this opportunity to espouse the incomparable benefits of napping. (And I’m not just talking to those under the age of six, either.) If you want to increase your creative productivity, it’s time for siesta.
Oh, glorious sleep, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1) Studies show that 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon provides more rest than 20 minutes more sleep in the morning.
2) Most people’s bodies naturally become more tired in the afternoon, about 8 hours after we wake up, so this is the ideal time for a ‘power nap’.
3) While an hour-long nap has the most restorative effect on the body, even fifteen minutes of light sleep or meditation can be enough to recharge for the rest of the day.
Do you remember laying your head on your desk in grade school when the teacher prompted you to take a rest? Even as a grown-up, you can find a hard surface and your own cozy arms just about anywhere. I remember how good that felt to just stare into the darkness between my elbows and shut out the bustle of the world. Make an effort to do this daily and your creativity is sure to reap the rewards. (Just think if you could recapture the creative genius of your fourth-grade self–who’s to say you can’t?)
Don’t feel guilty about napping, either.
In his book “Think Naked”, Marco Marsan, a man considered by the Fortune 500 to be one of America’s most inventive minds, says, “Napping has proved itself a powerful brain supercharger. When did we begin to equate naps with laziness? How many times have we bragged about how little sleep we received and were still able to perform? Well, it goes against the nature and the results from a 25-year study on the effects of napping. The study revealed that 92.5 percent of workers, after an afternoon nap, increased their productivity, their creativity, and their problem-solving skills.”
Pump yourself up with the good stuff: Powerful foods, plentiful exercise, spiritual levitation (wouldn’t that be cool?), and rejuvenating naps. I’m telling you, folks, your mind is going to be so well-greased that your shoes might slip while you’re racing to get all of those ideas down. So, the next time we convene, I’ll share some trade secrets for storing your ideas. Then you won’t end up flat on your fanny, wondering where they went!
Where Has The Time Gone? Blog 