My Confession: Snack and Power Naps – Love them both.

Posted by amy in News

Sometimes, Chris claims that I’m 5 years old.  Usually, I argue this point…except when it comes to nap time….oh, and snack time.  I never understood why taking a power nap and snacking were considered childish.  I find that I’m constantly battling between feeling guilty, defending my cat nap habit, or busy hiding the pillow and blanket evidence (or the dishes from my midnight snack)!

There are days that I take a nap.  I don’t sleep really well at night and usually not for a very long time.  I would much rather sleep 6 hours at night and take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, over sleeping for 8 hours straight.  I find that the split 8 hours makes me much more productive and energized.  (Studies have found that power napping can be very beneficial to your health.)  But just try to explain to people that you just woke up from a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day – you WILL get the death look.

I snack everyday, multiple times a day.  I don’t eat big meals.  I don’t like to be hungry or full, so I have found that eating small meals and then having 2 or 3 snacks works for keeping me from getting grumpy, zoning out or eating junk food.  (Studies have also shown that eating small meals throughout the day is healthy for you too!)  I always have a granola bar handy and I’m constantly concerned about meal plans when I’m out of town or if someone else is in charge of my day.   People seem to be more accepting of this habit, although they don’t realize that when I say politely, but firmly, “I’m hungry”, I mean, “We have 30 minutes to eat or it will get ugly.”

I doubt that confessing my “childish” habits will make me feel any less guilty about taking a nap or obsessive about my snack times, but I do think its important to know yourself well enough to understand what works for you so you can always be at the top of your game.

If you get a chance, take a few minutes and think of things that really work for you. Then, try to incorporate them into your life more often.

Fit Links:
A Place for the Power Nap – Time.com
Power Nap prevents burnout – Nih.gov

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