10 Reasons You Might Need a Nap Today

Glorious naps are something we used to either look forward to or dread as kids. I feel that as we get older, we’re starting to yearn for these beautiful breaks more and more often. They are an awesome way to spend 30 minutes to recharge, motivate, or reward ourselves for our tasks and accomplishments. It is truly amazing how much a quick power nap can help us in our busy, overworked, overscheduled, and overly tiring lives.

If you find yourself getting lost on the Internet and waste hours of time while procrastinating other work, try taking a nap instead to give yourself a chance to clear your head and find the energy for the next upcoming task or errand. You’d be surprised at what a difference it can make.

If you’re not sure whether or not you need a nap today, check out these reasons and see if any apply to you! Leave a comment after your awesome nap and share what it helped you accomplish today!

1. You’ve Been Playing with Your Animal Companion All Day

It’s Saturday! You’re home from work, you’ve done your errands and have been playing with your cuddly friend for the majority of the day. Running in the park, playing chase on the cat condo, hopping around the house together. All of that activity is sure to wear on you and your friend, so cuddle up for a nap together! The playing continues in 45 minutes!

2. You’ve Spent All Day Cooking

Sundays are a good day to get everything done. You can cook all of your favorite vegan meals and toss them into containers and into the fridge or freezer, after sampling each and every delicious dish. Once the clean up is done, and the food coma sets in, take a short nap to reward yourself! After all, you can rest easy knowing there are snacks for you when you wake up.

3. You Didn’t Get to Eat a Superfood Today

So many superfoods are packed with energizing vitamins and minerals. It’s also kind of eerie how quickly you run out of these things. Rather than grabbing a cup of coffee or trying to stomach an energy drink, spend that time snoozing for a bit to revitalize yourself and raise your energy levels.

4. You Spent Your Day Being an Activist

Flyers, posters, talking to under informed citizens, and making a difference can get tiring. Grab some Z’s before heading out again to get a second wind of energy and motivation so the citizens of your town can become aware of the causes you are passionate about! Spread the word! Let’s be activists for naps!

5. You’ve Just Got Too Much To Do

Studies show that when you’ve got a lot on your plate and try to get it all done in one go, your productivity and motivation drops. Instead of checking Facebook or getting lost on Youtube for 30 minutes to zone out and recharge, try taking a power nap. It increases your efficiency if the nap is short and uninterrupted. Fifty reports to do? No problem, let me just take a nap first.

6. You Attended an Awesome Party Last Night

Ah, friendship. Is there anything better? These people are your rocks, they Support you, they care for you, and they tell it like it is. However, gatherings often last late into the night, and is it always me or do the get-togethers always fall on the night before a big day? Thank your friends for the opportunity to take a nap and recharge for a bit before handling the daily grind.

7. You Need Your Beauty Sleep

The best cover-up for anyone is often a good night’s sleep. If that has been hard to come by lately and the bags under your eyes are no longer carry-on size, but have moved up to checked baggage magnitude, consider taking a nap to give those peepers a chance to rest and bring some fresher color to your face. Think of it this way, a 30-minute nap can save you from running to the store to buy some emergency concealer .

8. You’ve Got Kids

When the baby is sleeping, you should be sleeping – the best reason for any parent to grab a nap. The house is quiet, there’s no one needing attention, and who cares about the pile of dishes in the sink? It’s an awesome way to grab a quick cat-nap and regain some of the energy lost trying to wrangle your little tike(s).

9. You’ve Been Driving for Too Long

Driving for long periods of time is obviously very dangerous. Drowsy drivers are responsible for far too many accidents. To avoid being in the same situation as many others, when you start to feel drowsy, pull off to the side of the road, and take a thirty-minute nap. This can help reduce the chance of an accident for yourself and other drivers on the road.

10. You Deserve It!

According to the Sleep Foundation, napping has a lot of benefits including restoration of alertness, enhanced performance, and a reduction in both mistakes and accidents. They are basically a mini-vacation from the day to day and give us a chance to relax for a bit before pressing on.  Go on, take that mini-vacation! You’ve earned it!

Lead image source: Jacob Botter/Flickr