How to Take Catnaps

Catnaps are a great way to catch up on lost sleep or to refresh ourselves. For some people, though, napping can lead to problems sleeping at night.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Transit Pillows
• Ergonomic Pillows
• Sleeping Masks

1. Change into something comfortable. If at work, you might want to take off your jacket or tie or remove your shoes.

2. Stretch out on a sofa, bed or recliner. Don't put your head down on your desk, or you might wake up with a stiff neck and a backache.

3. Close your eyes and think relaxing thoughts.

4. Limit sleep time to 20 or 30 minutes, and try to take your nap before 2 p.m.

Tips & Warnings

• Take a nap if you're hitting a mid-afternoon slump; if you're drowsy and need to be alert for an important activity or long drive; if you find yourself dozing off on the job; or if you function better after a siesta and have no sleeping problems.
• If you have trouble sleeping at night, taking a daytime nap might worsen insomnia.
• A nap is not a substitute for a good night of sleep.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• How to Lose 30+lbs Guaranteed. Try it Free.

on 7/17/2006 I try to determine when the sleep is most natural for me. By interviewing other people who successfully navigate 3rd shift, I've got a bunch of ideas. One woman busy with a new large house and 3 children, takes 3 2-3 hour naps in-between taking kids to and from school (not for me!). She says sleep is overvalued and she is often groggy. Another one says she has no trouble with catnaps, and has never required much sleep. She only sleeps about 5 hours per day, and seems more alert than the other one. A third woman says she gets all her personal stuff done when she gets home at 6 AM, and then when she naturally starts feeling tired at noon, she sleeps until 6 PM or later.

I like to play with my pets at 6 AM, take a shower, sleep as long as I can (6-7 hours), be up around 2-3 PM, do my own stuff (cook, clean, wash, garden, play) and if I am tired, nap from 7:30-8:30 PM before I leave at 8:30 PM for my 9:00 start job. It's not ideal, but it's manageable.

on 12/30/2005 I am often really tired in the morning when I get ready for school. If I am ready a few minutes before I have to leave, I lie down and nap for a few minutes. You may want to set the alarm clock again just in case you don't wake up in time. I find that this also helps motivate me to get ready faster.

on 11/22/2005 Listen to some music while you are lying down. It makes me drift off into a complete slumber.

on 11/22/2005 There are three ways to get fully rested.
1. Using the Uberman sleep schedule, take 20 to 30 minute catnaps every 4 hours around the clock. This helps you function properly throughout the entire day.

2. Go to bed at midnight and sleep two hours, or however many hours you feel like sleeping, then make sure you take a 15 minute catnap in the afternoon around 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm. Later in the evening, around 7 or 8 pm, take another catnap for 15 minutes. Wake up and go back to bed at midnight and repeat the whole process over again. It works just like the Uberman sleep schedule.

3. When you sleep, try not to think about all your problems or stress from work, because when you do that you won't sleep properly. What I do is write down the problems all in my notebook. I use my Compaq IPAC and I write all the things that I'm worried about. When I'm done doing that, I go to bed and I free my mind. I don't think of my boss, my depression or nagging customers I deal with. I think of sheep jumping over a fence, or a field of beautiful flowers, anything that is positive helps me sleep better. You can do the same thing.

on 11/22/2005 In school, I used to put a book on the desk in front of me, lace my fingers and put my thumbs on my temples. Put your head down over the book...It looks to anyone else that you are reading, but with your eyes hidden.