Be Excellent To Each Other

I usually try to never nap in the day time, as I never feel like I fully awake back into the day and spend the rest of the time 'groggy', which seems at odds with those who speak of this magic 'power nap' and the revitalising force of a siesta.

The last few days/couple of weeks, however. I have been averaging about 3 hrs sleep a night. I try to get my 'nap' in as soon as Russell leaves for work at about 7:30am. I can drift off to sleep, but tend to wake back up every 15-30 minutes, but it is a horrible feeling of awakening. Not like waking up after a night's sleep at all. I don't wake up gradually, just with a start, confused, and usually with thoughts of horrific, or mind-bending dreams or thoughts (the only thing I can think to liken it to are the kind of dreams and thoughts you wake from after taking a strong morphine dose).

I have tried then to see if having a nap after midday will be bit more restful, but I get the same, with perhaps and added sense of 'where the heck am I?!?' as I wake.

Obviously it is affecting me a bit, as if I could perhaps extend my three hours sleep to perhaps five hours, I think I'd feel a heck of a lot better/more useful.

So, if you nap (or snooze, after your alarm) is it normal to have those strange panicky awakenings and horrid claustrophobic dreams and thoughts, and why are they so different from normal sleep?

I only nap when I have no alternative (ie I'm falling asleep after getting home from work and can't stay awake). I am usually out like a light and unless I set my alarm I'll sleep all the way through. After 20 mins or so feeling very groggy I'll be much more energised for the evening.

I nap when watching sport at home. Often feel better after it.

When I need a nap, I tend to set a time for around an hour or so and just lie in bed. I find I don't enter REM sleep but still notice time dilation and feel refreshed when the buzzer goes.

Perhaps you're getting too deep into the sleep cycle before being disturbed?

At one point I used to like a nap on a weekend afternoon, it was mostly when our son was younger and up 3-4 times a night!

These days he goes through the night and I have more energy after loosing some weight, so when he has a nap I spend the time frantically doing the garden or any other jobs as he is on me like a limpet when awake in day!

Maybe once every 2-3 months I will have a nap

I have never napped, but I'd imagine it would.

I generally can't nap unless I'm either super stressed and going through a "shut down" period where I hide to stop the world from bugging me, or if I'm feeling really poorly. But yeah, I usually wake up feeling like crap and wish I hadn't bothered.

I'm going to have a nap when I get home I think.

Maybe, though I tend to sleep for bursts a lot shorter than you (15-20 mins) so unless I enter deep REM quicker than you, or you pass through it in that time, it would seem strange that your sleep lasting 3-4 times the length of mine would see me entering REM and not you...

I don't know why I can't nap beyond that short period of time, either. I might feel better if I got a solid hour (or not... I don't know)

As bad as it is to hear that you feel the same, it's also re-assuring. I envy those pesky power-nappers like Mali A and Kern...

By and large I can fall asleep anywhere

Same, and I often do.

Heh

Same here. I can fall asleep anywhere and for any amount of time.

I always feel fine afterwards though.

You are Jack Reacher and I claim my wet shirt from under the mattress.

I often have a nap for an hour or two on a sunday afternoon (early start, lots of wandering around car boot sales for hours, then wine with sunday lunch = zzzzz)

I rarely feel much better for it though and if I sleep for 20 minutes say that makes things much worse.

Most of the time I reckon I'm just lying there and focusing on breathing (and other relaxation tricks), drifting in and out as the body wants, rather than trying to sleep per se.

I bloody love napping.

Yeah that actually works really well when you're a Spurs fan.

Sometimes when I try and nap in the afternoon my heart rate goes up and I feel a little panicky.

I do try to though...

I could never nap, it made me feel kind of hung-over. My SIL was always one for napping, she'd have a few hours sleep in the afternoon before a night out but it'd make me feel worse/more tired when I woke up, if I could even get to sleep.

Now I'm quite partial to an afternoon nap! Mr. flis works on Saturday mornings so I get up and do the housework and maybe some DIY, then when he gets home we eat and have a snooze for a few hours before getting up all revitalised. Then we do more work on the house, and then when it's late/dark, we can relax and unwind together, watch TV, have a couple of beers, instead of collapsing into bed at about 9pm!

I have trouble staying awake.

Then again, I don't usually get to bed before 1am and am up again at 6.45 on week days and between 8 and 9 at the weekend.

N.B. Old people need less sleep, or so I have read somewhere.

I feel exactly the same as you. Hung-over, and actually more tired than before. As such, sex on the afternoon on a weekend is extremely dangerous.

I don't know how the spanish do with that siesta thing. There's no way they can convince me that's healthy.

You do sex wrong.

Not in your house.

Edit: i cannot make that joke work properly

Sounds like too much back story...

Not really. After doing it I high-five the ceiling and then proceed to do push-ups, so i don't fall asleep.

Though this does sound like you have sexy times in a bunk bed. Alone.

Maybe he likes big women....

I don't nap intentionally, but find that if I sit quietly doing nowt, except maybe watching the telly, I do have a habit of dropping off. Old age, see?

I love naps. I used to have one in my office in my lunch break, back when I had an office. I may have one now. I feel all lovely and warm and fuzzy after a nap

Yep, that was awesome.

I could do with a nap now.

This week I've had a nap every afternoon for an hour once I've got home and it's been fantastic.

Sometimes I feel great after a nap, other times I feel groggy and dazed. Napping late in the day doesn't work too well for me it seems.

My favourite naps are Sat/Sun in the afternoon sun on the living room sofa. Wonderful.