The Benefits of Napping

Tired? Time for a quick power nap!



Just keep it under a half-hour, mmmkay?

 [Source: AsapSCIENCE]

Link Dump

Time for some random Internet goodness:

• Do not drink an entire bottle of soy sauce. (And not just because soy is terrible for you.)

• The Art of Manliness presents “The Napping Habits of 8 Famous Men.” (In many cases, though, it appears that they “napped” ‘cause they were on the verge of collapse from not getting enough sleep. Sometimes, lack of sleep is unavoidable -- but remember: Sleeplessness is not a sign of virility.)

• American kids think that cartoon mascots make breakfast cereals taste better. In other news, our kids are dumb.

• Speaking of cereal, check out this nostalgia nausea-inducing list of breakfast cereals of the 80s and 90s that will (hopefully) never grace your kitchen table again.

• Snooki wrestled on WWE Raw last night. I know you care.

• Men’s Fitness UK profiles Gym Jones and its new Fundamentals seminar. (Background: Gym Jones’ founder, Mark Twight, was affiliated with CrossFit early on, but moved on to develop an approach that emphasized individualized, sports-specific training. After Gym Jones received widespread attention for training the actors in “300,” CrossFit founder Greg Glassman got upset and claimed that Twight “stole” the CrossFit training program. CrossFit HQ even sent a mole to a Gym Jones seminar. Classy!)

• Gym Jones is also training the next Superman. I’m sure Glassman is steaming.

• The Dutch want you to eat bugs. “Dongen is head of the meat department at Sligro, a kind of Costco on the edge of this trim Dutch town. Besides steaks, poultry and others kinds of meat, he offers mealworms, buffalo worms, locusts and other insects, as well as prepared products containing insects like Bugs Sticks and Bugs Nuggets — not for pets, but as a source of protein for people.”

Finally, let’s just admit that all of this is trivial fluff in light of the unfolding events in Japan. When you have a moment, please donate to the relief efforts if you can. (Click here and here for more information on how you can help.)

Conk Out

I used to hate naps. Falling asleep in the middle of the day meant I was missing something -- no matter how insignificant -- and I always overslept, which means I'd be all foggy-headed and parched whenever I'd jerk awake.

But that was before I had kids. Now, I'd kill for a nap. When the boys are running me ragged, I seriously contemplate walking out to my car, reclining the seat, and dozing off in the driveway.

Turns out napping's good for you. In fact:

Humans are among the few animals that take their sleep in one shot. The rest of the animal kingdom consists of polyphasic sleepers; they alternate sleep and wake cycles throughout a 24 hour period. Cavemen likely slept in multiple phases too, so someone was always up to keep an eye out for saber tooth tigers. While experimenting with a return to polyphasic sleep has become trendy in recent times, the ideal pattern for human sleep is biphasic–a long stretch at night along with a shorter respite during the day.

A nice, restful nap sounds awesome. And as Tim Ferriss' "The 4-Hour Body" claims: "[r]emarkably, adding just one [20-minute] nap during the day shaves an hour and 40 minutes off your total sleep requirement."

This might be just the ticket for those days when I wake up before dawn to go brutalize energize myself at CrossFit. I gotta pull me a George Costanza and start napping under my office desk.



I don't have the time or inclination, however, to experiment with a full-on Uberman polyphasic sleep protocol like some people -- including Cosmo Kramer.

All this talk of sleep is making me sleepy. 'Night.

Rest Day

How to nap.