I’ve Got the Power

Today, I took a “power” nap.

That wasn’t my intention, and to tell the truth, I’ve never actually been able to get my head around the term “power nap.” It sounds like something a big shot executive does (“After my power meeting and my power lunch, I took a power nap”) or something you need to plug into an electrical outlet to achieve. And I’m not a robot.

The theory behind power napping is that you get a 15 to 20 minute rest to recharge and feel more alert the rest of the day. Any time I’ve actually tried this, it’s gone horribly wrong. I either fall completely asleep and wake up feeling groggier than I was pre-nap, or my 20 minutes turns into 3 to 4 hours. Actually, that’s not horrible at all…unless I’m napping on my lunch hour and happen to miss my alarm, and then it gets kind of awkward where supervisors and co-workers are concerned.

The only reason I wanted to lay down today was because I was feeling crappy. It could’ve been the extra activity over the weekend or allergies or just Monday. Whatever it was, I hurt all over, I was coughing, and I had a headache. Most of my summer has been spent working through my lunches, which are currently only a half hour long due to what my office calls “summer hours.” I take a shorter lunch to get out of work early. On this rare occasion, I decided that even a short rest would be good.

I napped in my car because my car is comfy. I also love the midday heat. Sure, I like a nice breeze, but I love the sauna feel of a hot car. Yeah, it’s kind of weird, but it’s one of my things. I set the alarm for 21 minutes. I didn’t sleep enough to dream, but I was able to relax. It may have been more like meditation. Power meditation.

It actually seemed to help. I still felt sore and a little sick for the rest of the day, but I was definitely more awake afterwards and it was a nice way to break the day up. My focus was better, and I think I may have been at least a little less sore than I was in the morning.

Am I believer? Eh, I think it depends on the day, the situation, the weather. And that’s for me personally. I know there are some people who swear by napping and others who just can’t do it.  Starting next week, I’ll be back to having my full hour for lunch. Do I foresee napping every day? Not really. But I do like the idea of a little bit of a recharge in my car, and I’m sure that at least once in awhile that will include the elusive power nap.

A.