Foo - Naps

I get sleepy during the day from time time and have considered taking naps. The problem is that I either can't fall asleep or end up sleeping 4 or 5 hours. Anybody have success at catnapping?

nope

Yes.

If you're not falling asleep, then you don't need one. If your problem is that you are sleeping too much, then don't get in such a comfortable position. Just put you head down on a table or desk without a pillow.

If I am severely short on sleep I tend to take a forced cat nap at my desk while sitting up.

I nap every day...sometimes twice. No joke...but only long enough to gather strength, of course...

Way back when I was entirely self-employed -- or severely under-employed -- I would routinely take a mid-day siesta. Naps rock! 20-40 minutes of shuteye post-lunch is a more powerful rejuvenator than any caffeine-laced cocktail known to man.

I would love to be able to take a nap daily. Damn responsibilities...

Well, my schedule would allow it but I can't seem to make it happen. I've read several different articles that it's really good for you.

1 can of coke
1 alarm set 20 minutes from start of nap

drink coke. nap.
caffeine will be kicked in when the alarm goes off. POWER NAP!!! FTW.

I don't drink much caffeine any more, and my internal nap timer only allows for about 30-minute naps anyway but that recipe worked well in college.

Catnapping, very succesfull. it's all about the internal clock. I have a couch in my office at work and can be found there about 2-3 days a week after lunch for about 45-60 minutes. I eat and work at the same time. Some days there isn't time or I have appointments outside of the office with customers.

I find afternoon naps are great for rejuvenation, although it takes a minute or so to get back up to speed, but then I'm good to go for the rest of the day. BTW, my work days are a min of 9 -10 hours and then somedays I bring it home at night and weekends.

I have a sleep disorder and don't typically spend more than 2 hours at a time alseep. I get 5 - 6 hours sleep per night, but it's usually in 3 segments broken up by about 15 or 20 minutes of being awake in between.
Does that count?

I just woke up from a siesta. It was great.

If I lay down during the day, I'm a goner. If I try to sleep normally, all bets are off.

I am able to take a 30 minute nap and wake up as if I had a full night's sleep. I have a friend that doesn't understand how I do it... I think you either can or you can't.

I can also sleep sitting at my computer, or almost anywhere. Back when I worked on mainframe computers, I would occasionally wake up when my keyboard input field got filled up with whatever character I pressed in my sleep and the monitor started beeping at every key repeat...

In my teen years, while delivering the morning paper, I once fell asleep on my bike on a straight stretch of isolated road with a slight decline. I woke up when my tires hit the gravel shoulder, and just kept riding, and was alert for the rest of the route...

The only time and place I can sleep on the spot is early morning flights. I'm asleep when the door shuts and if the pilot is good I don't wake up until I hear people shuffling off the plane.

I'm a napper. I usually find time to sleep in between classes/work. Short 10-15min naps works great for me. Refreshes me and wakes me up for my next class.

Also I'm one of those people that can sleep anywhere, anytime. Heck I fell asleep standing up on Black Friday when I went shopping.

On days that I don't work, a 20-40 minute nap does me right:thumb:

The trick is to only sleep for a short time. If you sleep too long that will make you groggy and you may have a hard time going to sleep at night. I suggest sleeping somewhere other than your bed, the couch for example. Then set an alarm to wake you up after 15-30 mins. If you can't fall asleep, lie in your place of choice and relax. Do something like read a book, listen to relaxing music or even a relaxation CD that walks you through the relaxation process. Even if you can't sleep, you'll still feel some rejuvenation.

I love naps, I just wish I had more opportunities to take them!