Friday, September 27, 2013

Naps Are Recommended

Don't you love to read advice from an expert that agrees with your own philosophy? Robert Genn, who writes The Twice-Weekly Letter, caught my attention with this title this week, "Take a Nap." He reports that Sara Mednick, a sleep researcher at UC, Riverside, sees the value of sleep, especially short sleep. Mednick thinks humans have a biological need for an afernoon nap, as promoted in her book, Take a Nap! Change Your Life. She has researched the relationship between napping and performance. Genn states, "In sleep our minds become highly active. . . .Sleep also enhances performance, learning and memory. According to Mednick, after sleep, people are 33 percent more likely to be creative."
No matter how absorbed I am in my current art project, I realize that my concentration suffers and my enjoyment lags in the early afternoon. It has nothing to do with a large or small lunch. Inviting the cat to get on my lap for some petting is delightful, bringing on a short nap for both of us. After years of working when this was not an option, I am reminded of how blessed I am to be at home and able to enjoy this respite.
Sometimes Bigboy is ready for some lap time (nap time) before I am and he waits patiently on the arm of the recliner. 

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