The power of napping
While being in lockdown has its drawbacks, there are many benefits to this enforced retreat from daily life. For those who find themselves working from home, one of these benefits is having more autonomy over how we spend our working day. This provides an opportunity to take time out during the day to look after ourselves in a way that isn’t possible when working from an office. And what better way to look after ourselves than with a midday nap.
The practice of napping dates back thousands of years, with modern-day siestas (Spanish, meaning "nap") originating in Spain. The custom of a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal is historically common throughout the Mediterranean and Southern Europe and Mainland China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes an afternoon nap (11 AM-1 PM) as an extremely beneficial factor in maintaining our well-being, with modern research discovers what Chinese Medicine has known for thousands of years.
The body follows a circadian rhythm and, according to Chinese medicine, noontime is the peak hour for the heart. In order to nurture your heart, traditional Chinese doctors advise that you rest and engage in calming activities at this time of day. Studies show that people who napped 20-30 minutes every day were 30 percent less prone to heart disease than those who didn't take a midday snooze.
Chinese Medicine also understands napping to be very beneficial to nourish blood. Asian medicine’s definition of Blood is a bit different than that of Western medicine’s of blood. Like Western medicine, blood is understood to be the substance that travels in the veins that nourishes the organs, circulates, warms and heals. However in Chinese Medicine it is enlivened with Qi, which moves the Blood through the body so it can nourish every aspect of our body from the skin and muscles to the brain and deep organs.
It’s not just quantity, but the quality of Blood circulating through your system that helps give us vitality, focus and rosy cheeks. When Blood is abundant you feel alive, nourished and well connected in mind and spirit. We allow joy and laughter into our lives and build and maintain meaningful relationships. When Blood is deficient a person will feel weak, tired, have a pale complexion or become anemic, they may feel anxious or easily startled, have breathlessness and palpitations.
In our modern society the idea of a nap is often seen as an indulgent luxury. However, according to the National Sleep Foundation, a nap of up to 30 minutes can help “restore alertness, enhance performance, improve memory, and reduce mistakes and accidents”. Instead of combating the afternoon lull with caffeine - a tactic that creates the illusion of efficiency and alertness, but actually "borrows" energy from your life force that you didn't have in the first place - try taking a power nap.
Snoozing on the job
For those that aren’t able to take time out in their day for a snooze, there are ways to give yourself rest during the day:
If you only have five minutes to spare, just close your eyes. Even a brief rest can reduce stress and help you relax, which can give you the increase in energy you need to complete your tasks of the day.
If you are uncomfortable with napping during the day, another option is meditation. It gives your body a rest and produces slower brain waves that are similar to sleep.