Pros and Cons of Taking Lots of Naps

I can tell you from personal experience that napping is the closest to heaven that you’ll ever get. Seriously, I usually go to sleep feeling like a queen and wake up like a zombie. So, for all my fellow nappers or wannabe nappers out there, here is a list of why naps can be a wondrous thing but can also be your ticket to starring in the next episode of The Walking Dead.

Pros

1. Get some extra rest. If you’re like me and part nocturnal animal, you know that bedtime usually occurs around 1-3 AM. My mind seems to crank up the creative juices around this time and I can’t seem to fall asleep. I end up doing homework, writing the next great American novel…okay that’s a lie. I usually end up in the deep dark depths of YouTube watching some montage of old 70’s commercials for 43 minutes (true story). But in all honesty, when I go to sleep at 3 AM and have to get up at 8 AM the next day, it’s nice to catch a few more hours of z’s.

2. The glorious feeling of cuddling into bed. There is nothing better than coming back after a long day and throwing yourself into your bed. You wrap yourself up in the covers, curl your body up, and breath out the words “I think I’m just going to marry my bed.”

3. “Don’t worry about a thing,” as Bob Marley would say. It’s one of the places, for me, that becomes a little safe haven. A place where I can go and leave my phone on my desk and just relax. I don’t have to worry about homework, work, text messages (my bad), or first world problems. Just taking a little time to unwind during the middle of the day is just as amazing as it sounds.

However, there are some negative side effects of taking naps during the middle of the day.

Cons

1. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Seriously, when you’re a full-time college student, part-time worker, have a Netflix binge list, and have a social life (yes, I do have one) it makes it nearly impossible to cut out a little time for yourself to indulge in a nap. Even when you join the working force and start #adulting, it becomes harder to find time to take a break.

2. Waking up and wondering what year it is. We have all done this before. Your eyes have just parted and you glance around the room for a second wondering where the t-rex with laser eyes just went. You lift your head up and wipe the drool from your chin. Then you wonder, where am I? This then turns into, what time is it? Then you read the time “8:32” on your bright phone screen and have a little moment of panic that your late for class. This lasts for a few moments until you realize your half-hour nap at 2 PM has just ended at 8:32 PM. Oops.

3. “Just 5 more minutes,” turns into “I’m late for work.” You can say this is an apology to my co-workers for knowing me as the girl that shows up late to work because you’ve hit the snooze button a few to many times. I work at night, so when I take these “short” naps during the day, I end up getting a little too cozy. The panic that ensues when I wake up makes me look like a drunk goose on the outside as I stumble out of bed and flip on the lights. Check my hair, check my clothes, text my boss “Well s***, I fell asleep, I’m on my way” (Sorry Anna). The punishment for this usually ends up being the embarrassment I feel when people start mentioning the sheet marks on my face. But hey, at least they never seem notice the drool stains.

Overall, naps can be a wonderful thing, but just remember to sleep in moderation. Being an avid napper myself, I highly recommend it, but just remember to be wary of its side effects. So, sleep on my friends, sleep on.