The quiet art of napping
How to make the most of an afternoon snooze
The window’s open. There’s a cool breeze. As you drift off, car horns sound, planes rumble in the distance and children laugh and chatter… Done well, there’s something special about a nap. A short sleep during daylight hours is a moment of quiet in a world of noise, similar to submerging yourself underwater or having a hot drink on a cold day. For a while, you can switch off.
But there’s also something necessary about napping, especially if your schedule includes back-to-back social get-togethers and functions, on top of an already busy working day. In these cases, waking hours can extend beyond the usual 15 or 16 and eat into the amount of sleep needed (estimated to be between seven and nine hours) to stay alert and energised during the day.