Precision Napping

If I knew how it was done, or why it happens, I would tell you. But first let me explain what it is. I’m not sure where you stand on napping, or to what extent your life allows you to indulge in “nap time.” If you are, or were, the primary caregiver of little ones then nap time might well be something you seek to impose on others in order to claim some time for yourself - for napping or reading or catching up on any number of the myriad chores that caregivers are heir to. Been there, done that. You have my heartfelt sympathy. If, however, you believe that adults should not nap, you can skip this post and click over to Amazon and take some personal shopping time.

The rest of us are currently in the midst of a debate regarding to what extent wage earners are free to determine their own nap time. Elon Musk, whose wealth and business acumen apparently makes him some sort of authority figure on all things, has declared that Tesla employees must be “in the office” for the traditionally requisite 40 hours a week. The fact that he feels that there is an immutable relationship between being in the office and being awake, calls his credibility - at least in this area - into question. What is true is that in many cases adults do have a certain amount of control over when they nap. Being retired gives me a great deal of control over my nap time, and I think that is quite important for precision napping - aka PN.

My ideal nap time begins between 2 and 3pm. Sometimes life does intrude; medical appointments, auto repairs, pizza deliveries, and other significant life events. But I try to keep those to a minimum. When nap time rolls around I arrange my technology to support PN. First, for me, PN is supported by a couple of digital apps - a timer and access to audio support. I access both of these through either my iPad or iPhone, though similar support is available through other sources.

First I set my background audio. Ideally, I blend two sources on my iPad. One is called Naturespace, which features a wide range of - as the name implies - nature sounds; rain, wind, surf, cicadas, birds, etc. The cool thing about Naturespace is that you can “blend” it with other apps, so I “blend” it with Pandora’s meditation or classical music options, giving me a variable blend of tranquil audio.

That done I set my timer for 15 minutes, recline and spend 15 minutes reading a novel, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, or poetry - just about anything that is not focused on politics, mass shootings, global warming, etc., in short, the news. It is not that these issues are unimportant, it is just that they are counterproductive in the PN arena. When my 15 minute timer goes off, I add an additional hour to the initial 15 minute setting, bringing the PN total session to an hour and a half - 90 minutes. You can see why being retired is a significant PN advantage.

But now here is the strange part, and why I call it “precision napping.” The second timer almost never goes off. I awake, seemingly automatically, with 2 or 3 minutes left on the timer. So have I “conditioned” myself to that 90 minute cycle? I have no idea. And if I were able to do that, one would think I could exercise some sort of similar control over my “normal” nighttime sleeping regimen, which is anything but normal. 

You may recall that in a number of these posts I refer to “the tiny hours.” Like with PN, I am referring to 2 or 3 o’clock - however in those instances I am talking about 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning when, unfortunately, the ideas, poems, etc., that end up here on The Wall strike me. And, yes, I realize that there may be a connection between a 90 minute nap in the afternoon and a period of uncontrollable wakefulness at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. And I further realize that omitting PN might also eliminate the tiny hours wakefulness.

But what if that isn’t the case? What if eliminating PN leaves the tiny hours wakefulness unaffected!? When, then, do I sleep at all! Horrors!