Lunch Naps! Not Today Blog 40
I have always loved taking a nap. During my apprenticeship, I slept through the lunch breaks at the end of the month when my money was no longer enough for the cafeteria. I didn’t want to touch my savings account, which I paid into every 1st of the month. And 30 minutes of sleep is an excellent substitute for lunch, I must say. At the beginning of this year, I started taking lunch naps again. Not for lack of money, but to give my body a bit more rest from my training sessions. And I feel great!
Bad Sleeping Habits?
I used to have an unhealthy sleep schedule. At the end of 2017, I averaged less than 5 hours of sleep a night. It wasn’t terrible, I was able to perform. The main reason why I didn’t get much sleep was a project that kept me tied to my desk until late.
Over the years, I’ve learned to get my shit done before midnight, and I realised that there aren’t too many things in life that are important enough to deprive you of sleep.
Don’t try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night.
Philipp K. Dick
I didn’t mind the short sleep cycles. It helped me to tackle this chaotic project. To this day, I don’t mind trimming my sleep time a little when I need to. My body and mind can usually handle it. At the moment I sleep between 5:30 and 7 hours a night, which is great.
Lunch Naps: That Extra Bit Of Recovery Time
At the beginning of the year, I started training for my big adventure. It wasn’t planned but I started having lunch naps regularly. I thought I’d give my body a bit more time to recover from my training regime. And it worked!
I go on 5-7 runs a week at different speeds, from slow recovery runs to fast threshold runs and distances between 3 and 12 km. In addition, I lift heavy 3 times a week.
Normally I would give up a time-consuming training programme like this after three months. Until now, I thought it was due to a lack of motivation. But let’s be honest: there is no such thing as motivation. I think performance and stamina come from momentum. From consistency. Making small efforts every day, no matter how lazy you feel.
But considering my poor sleep habits, I think it was the lack of sleep that made me stop every time I got the ball rolling.
Two naps of 20 to 30 minutes a day have made a major difference. I take a nap after lunch. And a nap after dinner. To make sure I don’t oversleep, I like to sleep on surfaces that may not be the most comfortable. But comfortable enough to doze off for a while.
Yep, I also think sleep posture is overrated. Haha.
Anyway, I am as fit as ever. I am able to increase the weights in almost every workout. My long runs are more effortless than before. And my concentration at work is surprisingly high.
I am sure there are other factors that play their part but that’s for another time.
Why Not Today
Normalise the lunch nap! In fact, why not today treat yourself for a quick 20 to 30 minutes on that recliner chair you don’t spend much time in any way.
Remember the famous quotes:
“You miss 100% of the naps you don’t take.”
“I’m so good at taking naps, that I can do it with my eyes closed.”
Good night friends x.
D
