I was never one for napping. To me, sleep was something you partook of while lying in bed - not a state that I ever experienced while sitting in an armchair
In my old family home, after we had consumed our evening meal which is simply known as "tea" in Yorkshire, I often noticed both my parents napping. Comfortable in front of the fire and the television set, they would slip away from consciousness over the border into the land of dreams. One or both of them would start to snore - ever so gently but loud enough to distract me from the evening's local news on "Look North". They would normally sleep for ten or twenty minutes.
One of the things that bothered me about napping was its propensity for hindering proper sleep when tucked up in bed. Napping can refresh us too much and if it goes on too long one might suffer from related bouts of insomnolence - perhaps entering a vicious cycle of sleep-related difficulties.
But now, as I reach the very end of my sixties, I have started to nap quite regularly in the early evening - just like my parents. If the room lights are low and my belly is full and I am warm and comfortable, quite often my eyelids will close as if pulled down by invisible lead weights. I might fight it for a while but the urge to nap tends to win out. Fortunately, it is normally only for ten or twenty minutes.
We never quite remember the moment when we drift off do we?
Shirley and I have been looking after Phoebe this weekend. She was awake just after 5.30 am this morning, calling out "Grandma!" before the sun had even risen to start a new day. She had breakfast, watched several episodes of "Hey Duggee", played in the garden, went swmming, ate lunch, read books and still wouldn't take a nap. She was still on full charge after I returned from visiting my old pal Bert in the middle of the afternoon.
We put her in Shirley's car and drove out into the nearby countryside beyond Ringinglow and as we travelled along Phoebe's eyes began to close. This being the hottest day of the year, we parked in the shade of trees at "The Alpaca Arms" with the door open and she was still napping when we got home. I guess she had had about forty minutes - just enough to avoid fractiousness before bedtime.
Now please excuse me as I need to go and take another nap.
My favorite time to nap is right after lunch. Then it doesn't interfere with night sleep.
ReplyDeleteSensible as always Red!
DeleteI have taken to napping around mid-day, since our Sweetie-Pie tends to come bugging me for her breakfast at 5 a.m. (I usually hold her off until 5:30 or a bit later but still . . )
ReplyDeleteI have no apologies any more for my naps. I find them restful if not invigorating.
Do they have secret support meetings for nappers. Hello my name is Neil and I am... a napper! There, I have said it!
DeleteI sometimes feel like I need a nap, but I know I always wake up crankier than usual, so I try not to do it. I can't inflict that on Carlos.
ReplyDeleteHow could it be possible to be any crankier?
DeleteI can totally relate. We had a very similar experience today.
ReplyDeleteI guess napping finally come to us all.
DeleteI don't like to nap much during the day as I am afraid I will then be awake at night. I'll be reading in the evening and can barely keep my eyes open but then when I try to fall asleep, I'm wide awake! I'm so glad when I have a good sound sleep at night!
ReplyDeleteI remember those days of babies falling asleep in the car! Shirley and you know the tricks for getting Phoebe to nap!
There's nothing better for well-being than a good night's sleep.
DeleteThe littles will certainly wear us out yet they never flag in their energy. Clever to take her for a car ride; that works for many children. My mom claimed I never slept in the car. I still don't.
ReplyDeleteSmall children are used to midday naps and when they are growing out of that phase, they will still occasionally benefit from them.
DeleteI've always thought the same about napping, that is how it will affect my night time sleep. If I sit in an armchair after dinner watching tv, I can nap with my eyes open. I am facing the tv, I am usually hearing it but I am not seeing it. I hear R say 'Don't go to sleep there', and I reply I am not asleep but I kind of am.
ReplyDeleteHow great is it that Phoebe called out Grandma at 5.30 and not Grandpa. Not your problem.
If she had yelled "Grandpa!", I would have certainly got up but we have to be sensitive to what young children ask for so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. It's called democracy I think.
DeleteI hate when I fall asleep while watching television, force myself up, get ready for bed, and once in my own comfortable bed, I. AM. WIDEAWAKE.
ReplyDeleteSleep requires an appropriate level of drowsiness that napping can reduce. I have missed a few TV programmes because of napping but these days "catch up" services can provide missing pieces.
DeleteHimself always drops off after dinner. I hate napping as I wake feeling like that cat and a bit nauseous to boot. Maybe I am not quite old enough, yet.
ReplyDeleteThat's it! You are just a young lass - like a spring lamb.
DeleteI'm a big fan of naps myself often losing several minutes of whatever is on TV at the time. I also sometimes nod off in the afternoon while reading blogs or books.
ReplyDeleteI trust that you never nod off while reading my blog Elsie!
Delete18 minutes is apparently the perfect nap. My father used to work for a guy who napped sitting upright at the meal table midday. He used to thank his wife for the meal they had enjoyed, push his chair back, pull his hat over his eyes and nod off for just less than 20 minutes (during which all the farm hands would silently hope for longer) and with absolute precision every day his internal alarm would bring him upright and ready to go for the start of the afternoon's work.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! They were real power naps.
DeleteMy eyes always close after lunch listening to an Audible book, 20 minutes the most, and I have to rewind the story. But wouldn't describe myself as a catnapper.
ReplyDeleteWould you describe yourself as a kidnapper? You can get arrested for that.
DeleteI have noticed lately that my eyelids seem to get very heavy in the evening while I'm watching TV. I can't think why that is!!
ReplyDeleteDid you doze off and forget to reply?
DeleteI often take a siesta after working in the garden and polytunnel...ssss.
ReplyDeleteWhen I do it, it's zzzzzzzzzz not ssssssssss!
DeleteNo you snore not znore.
DeleteLike you, I was never able (or willing) to nap after leaving early childhood behind, with the exception of those rare occasions when I was ill.
ReplyDeleteIn 2018, I had my big eye operation and was not allowed (or able) to work for six weeks. During the four days in hospital and the weeks at home, I was not allowed to read, play computer games, blog, write emails and so on; nor was I allowed to do anything more strenuous than a slow, gentle walk. I other words: Most of what I would have enjoyed during so much time off was not allowed or possible.
That was when I started taking early afternoon naps. I had a (usually cold) spot of lunch and then went to lay on top of the duvet, with a blanket covering my shoulders (strangely enough, I need especially my right shoulder covered to drift off), and rested for anything between 20 minutes and an hour.
As for the moment when I feel I‘m about to cross that border between wake and sleep, I find it utterly delicious, and hate it when a noise in or outside the house disturbs me right then.
"Delicious" is a good word for it. Crossing the border into a different realm.
DeleteI've heard that grandchildren can be exhausting!
ReplyDeleteOver the summer months I occasionally take a short nap, but I'm not usually one for sleeping during the day. Being something of an insomniac I prefer to save sleep for bedtime. Though when it's 40C+º outside, even with air-con, it's difficult not to nod off during the afternoon!
In Spain, I thought it was the law that everybody had to have a siesta.
DeleteMaybe you should avoid reading my blog posts after tea and save them for bed time.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that insomniacs can only access your blog on prescription?
DeleteWhen I was younger and had four children and a house to care for, I lived for naps. I never got enough sleep. Now that I can sleep as long as I like in the morning, I don't take naps. But I guarantee you I could.
ReplyDeleteThe older I have gotten, the better my naps.
ReplyDeleteWhen did you get to Nova Scotia and how did you get inside my house to take that picture of me???
ReplyDeleteI love sleeping. But I dislike getting ready to go to sleep, so I put it off at night. Naps require no preparation so they are a wonderful indulgence.