Fredericksburg Parent

12 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • November 2020 WRITTEN BY CHRISTINA KATZ The Walking Dead Parent Do you ever wish taking naps could be considered cool? Unfortunately our power- parent culture seems to have regulated naps to babies, to hospital pa ents and to the elderly. Well, the heck with all that. Once you declare naps hip, trendy and fashionable, you won't deny yourself the crucial sleep recovery they provide. Recent studies indicate a high likeli- hood new parents are not merely over red but are completely exhausted. Even if you have had kids for a while, you may not have go en any be er at catching enough zzz's. The tween and teen years can also be a tricky me to balance ac vi es with rest. Once parents become red to the bone, judgment can become impaired, and this can lead to an unhealthy dependence on caffeine to get through the day. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night and the CDC says that one third of adults are not ge ng enough. A lack of sleep can affect health, concentra on and alertness. Parents denied shut-eye make more than just occasional mistakes. Sleep depriva on can lead to auto accidents, chronic health condi ons, and even diseases. If you are wearing your weariness like a badge of hardcore parent pride, maybe it's me to reclaim your emo onal, mental and physical health by prac cing the art of napping. Just like any habit, you will become a more effec ve napper with prac ce. So if you are feeling fuzzy right now from a lack of sleep, why not go grab a quick nap? You deserve it! 1. USE YOUR BODY AS BAROMETER Not sure if you need a nap? Your body knows. Do you feel fa gued, irritable, restless or distracted? These are all signs that you have accumulated a sleep debt. A lack of ad- equate sleep can quickly rack up. When I am over red I o en feel physically ill. Rather than regard this feeling as something to push through, I have learned to pay a en on. Why not yield when your body has hit its limit, rather than soldiering on. 2. PARK YOUR PHONE Silence your cell phone when you nap and the alarm should s ll ring. Keep your phone across the room to resist the urge to reach for it and check how much me has passed. You will snooze be er without your phone in a dark room and in a comfortable bed, just like when you sleep at night. If this is not how you usually sleep, make the necessary adjustments. 3. SQUEEZE IN SLEEP The best place to nap is probably in your bedroom but napping at home may not always be convenient. If this is true, become more flexible about where you are willing to nap (see sidebar). I surprised myself recently by napping in the car in the early evening for about twenty minutes. Everything I've read says this was the wrong me to nap, but I felt refreshed a erwards and slept well that night. The bo om line: if you are sleep- deprived, any nap, anywhere, for any length of me is be er than none. 4. TURN OFF YOUR MIND Many parents suffer from monkey mind when they try to nap but that's not a good reason to avoid res ng. A be er idea is to get in the habit of relaxa on even if you don't go all the way to sleep. Your mind may become more willing to quiet down so you can sleep a er you chill out. Try pu ng worries on clouds in your mind's eye and le ng them float away. Any type of rest can be considered a good nap. 5. CONSIDER CAFFEINE INTAKE It's OK to drink coffee or tea to help you stay alert, but try not to drink caffeine a er 3 pm if you want to sleep well at night. On the other hand, if you find yourself awake at four or five in the morning, you may decide to get up and drink some coffee, knowing that you will be napping with your toddler mid-morning. Adjust your caffeine consump- on to support your nap schedule. Naps reduce your sleep deficit; caffeine does not.

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