Now they call it power napping. My mom just called it "taking a little rest". I don't know when Mother came up with this idea, but she practiced it all of her life.
When I was too young to drive and we would go somewhere in the car for the day, my mom would pull over to the side of the road, find a level spot...or a picnic table and spread out her blanket. She would lay down and take a little snooze for about a half hour. Then she would get up and we would resume our trip. If we went to someone's house and the trip back home would be a long one, the same thing happened. She would ask our host if she could lay down for awhile and rest before we got on our way. And again, just about half an hour and she was good to go.
I found this same habit very useful as I started back to school for my Masters degree. I would get up early on a summer morning, climb in the car and drive all the way to Springfield to class. I usually was on my way back home around 2 in the afternoon. By the time I got back to Gainesville, I would be so tired. Going into the bedroom I'd lay down on the bed and close my eyes. Usually just about 20 minutes would be enough. I'd get up fresh and ready to fix dinner, do my homework, and get ready for the next day.
The key to power napping, as my mother taught me, is to do two things. 1. Just lie down and close your eyes. 2. Do not stay there for any longer than 20 to 30 minutes. If you sleep longer, you'll just be groggy. Maybe it's a genetic thing. Maybe it's a case of mind over matter. I don't think I really fall asleep. But I do drift off and then wake up easily. And I am ready to go ahead and do whatever needs to be done.
My mom never had any trouble going to sleep at night. She slept like the proverbial baby. I also am blessed with good sleep and have never suffered from insomnia. But I am glad I was shown early on what you should do when you are tired. Just take a little snooze. Here's to power napping!
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