Too tired to do anything? Then maybe it’s time for a nap. Napping is a socially accepted part of the day in many countries. Whether it’s called a siesta or schlafstunde, the effect is the same. People close down their shops, all business ceases and sometime after the midday meal, individuals and families take a refreshing rest. In the United States, however, napping has long been regarded as the province of the very young and the aged, but not something that people in their prime engage in. All this has changed with the concept of the “power nap.”

“Power nap” is a term coined by James Maas, a social psychologist at Cornell University, to refer to a short sleep that ends before the beginning of slow wave sleep. A power nap duration of fifteen to thirty minutes is deemed optimal to ensure that the sleeper is refreshed but not disoriented, According to research funded by NIMH, we can rise to our personal best and avoid burn out at work, if we allow ourselves a power nap.

But did we really need a government agency to tell us that? Haven’t we known this all along?

Napping is a natural part of life. People don’t need to be taught how to do it. A midday snooze comes of its own accord, and if we don’t do anything to stop it, a nap will just happen. Why then is it that medical and scientific studies on the subject are necessary?

For a long time, the trend has been away from doing what comes naturally. People who work for others, especially if paid by the hour, and committed to nine to five work day, feel compelled to disregard their own bodies in order to do what is expected of them. Without the word from high up that getting caught napping is okay, they cannot afford to listen to their bodies. So now it’s official: it’s okay to nap!

From a purely task oriented outlook, it is obvious that nothing can be accomplished when we are too groggy to think, and that the task at hand demands that we sleep first and work later, once we are refreshed.

So don’t feel guilty. It’s all right. Let your eyes grow heavy. Let your head nod a couple of times, and nature will take its course.

At home or at work, all you need is a place to lay your head and the time to call your own. It could make a world of difference to your well being, your health, your level of performance and even your longevity.

Sleep deprivation is a serious health concern, and not getting enough sleep when you need it can result in hypertension, weight gain, diabetes, memory loss and other signs of premature aging. It’s good to sleep a full eight hour night, but it helps also if you nap during the day.

So, how should you nap?

Don’t force a nap, just because you happen to have the time. Let the nap happen to you. Falling asleep is like falling in love — you don’t control it, or it’s not real. When the time is right, your body will let you know. Just don’t resist too hard, and it will happen.

As with adults, infants, toddlers and school aged children can also benefit greatly from naps. It used to be customary for kindergartners in the United States to have an enforced nap at school. This worked for some children and not for others, because napping habits should be tailored to the needs of the individual. Now, in the interest of education, many schools have eliminated nap time in kindergarten.

Forcing a small child to pretend to nap can be torture, but not allowing another child who really needs a nap to take it is also torture. The whole point of the nap is to allow the body to respond to its own needs in its own good time. This is why keeping very small children at home so that their specific needs can be met is a good idea.

Mothers often look forward to nap time, because that is when they can catch up on household chores or other kinds of work. However, it helps to have realistic expectations. If the baby has kept you up all night, then you need a nap, too. It’s more important to get enough sleep than to have a perfectly tidy house.

Some say that in order to get a really good nap, you should sleep in your own bed, put on your jammies, shut the door, draw the curtains, put on blinders and plug up your ears. Pretend it is night, they say, and shut out the world and its troubles.

I don’t belong to that school. A nap is different from a good night’s sleep. It’s something that will happen, if you let it, in broad daylight, in your day clothes and with ambient noise and soothing daytime sounds to help you relax.

They say that Hannibal of Carthage used to nap with his shoes on, lying down on the ground covered in his cloak, amidst the bustle of an army encampment, and surrounded by foot soldiers. He was so confident in himself and in his men, that he had no fear for his own life. He did it all out in the open.

Life can be dangerous, and day time is a time for alert reactions to unexpected crises. That’s why nature equipped us with the ability to nap when the circumstances allow, and to skip the nap during a crisis.

But how do we know if there’s a crisis? We listen in our sleep. Whatever the ambient noise in your daytime environment, your subconscious mind knows it well. If you live out in the country, it may be the chirping of the crickets and the repetitive songs of native birds. If you live in the city, it may be the low rumble of street traffic and the occasional passing siren. If you work in an office, the sounds that soothe might be your fellow workers gossiping. Whatever is normal in your life, your subconscious mind will listen for it, and will allow you to nap, so long as the reassuring background noises persist. Sometimes we wake up from our nap abruptly, not because of the sounds, but because a preternatural silence has suddenly fallen on the scene. That is the surest sign that something is wrong!

I can nap on a bare concrete floor, fully clothed and with a chimp at my side. If anything needs my attention, Bow will let me know. Your situation may be different, but the best way to nap is in full awareness of what goes on around you and in the full confidence that if anything needs your attention at once, you will snap wide awake and take care of it!

Nature gave us the ability to nap, because sometimes we need just a little shut-eye before we deal with the next crisis. Let yourself nap, and the world will be yours. It’s really just a matter of balance.

(c) 2010 Aya Katz