Friday Five Random Grumpiness: Why I Hate Naps (WITH A DRAWING!)
- Naps sneak up on me. Like when all I’ve done is picked up a book, sat down on the couch, coerced the cat to curl up in my lap, and then…Boom! Out of nowhere, I’m snoozing.
- Naps grind my productivity to a halt. Oh, sure, yes, dreams are restorative and rest is good for my brain cells, but seriously….I’m not even reading that book I picked up.
- Naps can’t be attractive. Even when I’m totally out, I have this lurking sensation of my mouth hanging open and…well, let’s stop there. So far no one in my family has yet snapped a pic and waved it in my face. They know better.
- Naps make a mockery of my choice to eschew narcotics and heavy drinking. Because when I wake up from a nap, I am groggy, slow, and stupid. Refreshed? Rejuvenated? Totally false advertising.
- Naps don’t take me anywhere new. No falling asleep in the middle of a black-and-white tornado and landing in a Technicolor world and “borrowing” ruby slippers from a squashed witch for me. Not that I don’t love my own place and time, but, hey, an adventure would at least justify the post-nap tiredness.
What about you? Are you pro-nap or anti-nap? Leave me your answer with at least one reason in the comments, and I’ll enter you in the drawing I just now decided I’m having. What will one lucky commenter win? A copy of Dr. Seuss’ Sleep Book. Never read it? Well, get started on your to-do list now, because once the book is in your house, you may never be able to stay awake again.
We’ll make this short and sweet. You’ve got till Monday night, February 24th, and I’ll announce the winner on Tuesday. Ready? Set? G–zzzzzzzz
beckylevine.com 
22 Comments
At several points in my life I had The Sleep Book memorized – now I can do bits and pieces. I used to read it to my little brother – and then to my own kids. Love that book!
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We love it, too, but it is SO hard to read out loud, all the way through, successfully. Without yawning through entire sentences. Christine, do you need a fresh, new copy? Enter with a nap vote and reason! 🙂
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From Carol Baldwin: “I like the idea of naps. But the actuality of them makes me less likely to get to sleep at night. But a book about naps…now that sounds wonderful! Count me in!”
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That does happen to me, too, sometimes, Carol. And it’s not fun!
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Like you, naps find me – usually at inconvenient times. I’ve discovered it is no good avoiding them. Bidden or unbidden, naps come. Better to acquiesce than soldier through the tired eyes and foggy brain, only to find you must redo whatever it is you thought you were doing.
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Yeah, they do kind of take over. Resistance is futile. But that doesn’t make me any happier about them! 🙂
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I’m learning to take short restorative naps but usually need some TV to help power me down. And I can’t sleep too long or I just feel bad! The best antidote to the nap is a brisk walk outside but sometimes I am just too lazzzzzzy. We have The Sleep Book on CD and play it for the grands in hopes it will put them to sleep. Thought it would work like a charm but I think they keep each other awake.
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I keep hearing that short, restorative naps are the way to go. I’ve tried a couple of times to close my eyes in a restorative yoga posture that is really relaxing, and that’s helped, but it takes a lot of setup. Perhaps you need a hard copy of The Sleep Book to snuggle with! Maybe you’ll win one here. 🙂
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I’m with you. I’m almost never able to sleep in the middle of the day, and the few times it has happened, I woke up feeling completely zonked, unreal, out of it. I don’t know how people can find naps refreshing.
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My husband takes short ones that seem to work. I’m sure there’s some chemistry difference going on…
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Unbelievably, this is one I’ve never read! My oldest son (now grown) was anti-sleep as a child, and has been known to proclaim at bedtime, “I will never sleep and never rest!” Personally, there’s a lot of stuff I’d rather do than sleep, so I guess he gets it from me.
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I wonder if your son naps now?! I’m with you–that’s why I dislike naps so much. But sometimes they just take over…
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Anti-nap!! I dare not sleep in the middle of the day lest the 300 bears that live here have a wild party and destroy the house. 🙂
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There would be marmalade EVERYWHERE!
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A nap is a MUST HAVE! Without it I am so un-productive. Maybe it is because I only sleep a few hours at a time, so I need a few more during the day. I’ve never read the The Sleep Book; I will be checking it out no though!
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That might be. I was the kid who could easily sleep till 10 or 11 on weekends, and even now I need a good long chunk of sleep at night. If I could be a productive night owl after I napped, I think they’d make me happier. But nooooo! 🙂
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I never take naps. I simply have a loud, snorey sinus condition that comes on after lunch.
And I read through my eyelids.
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Jim, you and my dad. “I’m just going to go read for a while.” 🙂
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Anti-nap! If I fall asleep during the day, I will then sleep until the next morning if left alone. If something wakes me up, I am groggy and crabby and can’t get to sleep that night. Naps make me feel all out of sorts. I have never had a good dream napping. They are not for me.
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Ditto!
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My nana was the queen of naps (and we didn’t even have to be quiet when she took one!). She would announce to us kids “nana is going to rest her eyes”, she would lay down on the couch and died for 10 minutes or so (and I mean died, you could stand next to the couch and scream and she’d be oblivious), after 10 or so minutes she’d pop back up all recharged. It was fascinating because I’ve never been able to do that. I take a “power nap” and I don’t wake back up for an hour or two and it completely throws off my bed time.
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Your nana had superpowers!
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