Finding your inner nutria: Chapter 3


Napping
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We all spend a lot of time sleeping, but we rarely analyze the sleeping process. Particularly for a nutria, it's really important to be up on your napping skills!
  Certainly there are many experts in sleep research. But I think that there is a real need for a more sociological based study of sleep. How do we sleep? Where do we sleep? I'd like to discuss concepts that cannot be researched in a medical lab, but need to be investigated on the streets.
  The inspiration for this struck me as I was driving on the freeway. On the radio, one of these self-help gurus was talking. This guy said, "Find what you do really well, and see what happens when you explore it." Certainly, I think that most of my friends and collegues would not dispute my napping skills. My calculations show that I spend over 60% of my time actually sleeping, and 20% more in a fairly inert state. So, I think I'm qualified to discuss napping, from a personal point of view. From a scientific point of view, I cannot say that my credentials on sleeping research are very strong. However, I would note that this book is not intended to achieve the standards of a medical tome. Still, I have done extensive reading of the literature on sleep, so that I think that I can certainly say that I'm a well read layman.
  Roughly speaking, here are the different types of sleeping that we can do. We will fully analyze these different genres in the course of this book.
  In this article, I'll go over some basic napping techniques and tips. These tips will be particularly helpful to those who have never taken an afternoon nap. A topic of interest in this, for those who have boyfriends or girlfriends, will be that of "solo napping" vs "napping with a partner".
  We will also the important topic of "optional" vs "necessary" napping. Now, studies have shown that different amount of people require different amounts of sleep. For any given person, there will be a minimum amount of sleep required. This certainly depends on our age, sex, and other factors which are not all well understood. However, sometimes we voluntarily choose to exceed the minimum required amount of sleep. This is a luxury, akin to eating desert. When do we decide to have this luxury sleep, and what are the benefits?
  Then ,we will consider a study of society's attitudes towards sleep, as well as our own individual attitudes. Society tends to look down on those that sleep more than the average. These individuals can be labelled as "lazy". I would like to dispute this notion. This may include studying several famous and historical figures that have been known to sleep more than the average. Also, I will propose a framework showing that napping really fits into a whole unified philosophy. In this section, we will study such role models as the cat, the sloth, and the nutria. Note that society looks down on the sloth, so that "slothfulness" has even become part of our vocabulary. But, after reading this book, hopefully the reader will understand that the sloth is a noble, productive animal.
  We will then extend this sociological study of napping to examine napping in different cultures. For example, in Spain, everyone takes an afternoon siesta, and then parties all night. How does this affect the culture of Spain? And how do people nap in other areas of the world.
  Later, I would like to look at is the importance of napping to creative thought. Often, people find that dreams can provide useful ideas to them. Is there any way to channel our napping, to enhance our napping productivity? This is certainly an intriguing area that deserves full examination.
  Well, now that I've thrown out a few topics, it's time to start with a discussion and analysis of the power nap. Get out your pillow, and let's get to work!
Basics of the Power Nap
  A power nap is quite similar to a catnap. It's a state of light sleep. Often the power nap is quite short in duration- typically 15 minutes to half an hour. It is important to develop a strategy of power napping. The first priority- as they say in real estate- is location, location, location. It is also necessary to study timing and technique. As you read this book, and practice your napping, you will find yourself steadily improving your napping technique and napping productivity.
 

Location, location, location


 
  If you are at home, then you have plenty of possible locations for you power nap. The top locations are the bed and the coach. Another good location at home can be on your desk, if you have a small office. Sleeping in bed is really the best way to get started for beginning nappers. Try a fifteen minute nap after work to recharge your batteries.One problem with power napping at home can be interruptions from family or friends.
  Power napping at work is, of course, much more challenging. But I think that you will find it's worth the effort. It can dramatically increase your productivity and creative output. It will relax you, and make your workday much smoother. Let's discuss the criteria that will determine good locations to power nap at work.
  The ideal location will provide you with some seclusion, while still having the safety of a guarded enviroment. The seclusion is important because you don't want a lot of talking or interruptions during your nap. Furthermore, you will want to avoid being observed by too many people during your nap. Obviously, you don't want your boss to come in every day to find you snoozing away. On the other hand, when power napping, it is important to remember that you are in a vulnerable state. Therefore, you may not want to power nap on the subway, because you could awake without your wallet.
  Distance from your main work area is another important criteria. In general, I would avoid driving to another location for the power nap. The hassle of getting the car, and parking, can often outweigh the benefit of the nap. Hopefully, you will be able to find a good napping location in the building where you work. Universities are particularly good for offering a diverse array of napping locations. Industrial settings, such as manufacturing plants, generally have a poor set of napping options.
 
  As long as we are on the topic of driving, the car nap should be considered. For safety reasons, the car should be parked while napping. A good parking space will be in a quiet, safe area, perhaps outside. On the highway, there are rest stations designated for this purpose. In the city, the parking lot of the company may be a good choice. Or, a residential neighborhood can be a good spot to park. Usually, I nap with the windows of the car mostly up, and the car turned off. Thus, it is necessary to find a parking spot that will give an pleasant temperature- perhaps under a shady tree. When purchasing your car, you will want to evaluate it for its napping suitability. Small, sporty cars can be quite cramped. A midsized car will typically offer you excellent driving performance, and the necessary comfort. One drawback is that napping in the car can lead to muscle soreness. Later, we will discuss some stretching exercises to do before and after napping.
  Working near a library can be a particularly fortunate situation. Unfortunately, those who work in the library itself cannot easily nap in the library, because their management could find out. But, for students and unversity employees, libraries can be a napping utopia. Besides offering a modicum of safety, libraries have many other features to recommend them to power nappers. The quiet atmosphere of a library is certainly ideal for taking a nap. A library has plenty of reading material, some of it quite obscure. If you are the type of individual that needs a little jump-start before a nap, this reading material can be just the ticket. A good library will often have luxuries such as couches and end tables. This can really provide for an excellent power nap.
  Another good location can be a cafe. Ideally, the cafe will not be located in the company itself, but perhaps across the street. A disadvantage of the cafe is that the noise level can be somewhat loud, and it doesn't really provide ideal seclusion. But, the cafe can offer tea and cookies. Also, a cafe will have comfortable couches and chairs.
  Moving down the list, we turn to company break rooms. The advantages here are clear: often there are comfortable chairs and some food. But the major disadvantage is that you are guaranteed to be spotted by co-workers.
  Finally, one has the option to take a nap at your desk. This is not a bad option, especially during lunch hour. People who nap at their desk can give the impression of being such hard workers that they have tired themselves out. Napping at your desk, however, can be uncomfortable, and lead to neck strain. The best situation here is if you have your own office. Then you can even stretch out on the floor, if desired. Many companies today have a cubicle enviroment, which isn't really very pleasant to nap in. Worse yet are the open cubicles, which leaves you in full view of all of your co-workers.
  In concluding this section on napping at work, I'd like to raise the question of whether to scope out the napping situation at your job interview. Certainly, in a tight market such as today, it may not be possible to factor the napping potential when considering to accept a job. However, if you are fortunate to have a couple of different job opportunities, it never hurts to compare the napping scene at different companies. See which companies have little areas that may be suitable for your needs.
  Most books that you read on job interviews will advise you not to ask your boss about how he would feel about you napping. Generally, I would concur with this advice. But, like most issues, this one can be addressed tactfully. First, look for signs that the work enviroment will not be nap-friendly. For example, your boss may ask you if you are motivated, or if you would enjoy working 15 hour days. Such questions are a clear indication that your boss will not approve of your power naps. On the other hand, if your boss is waking up from a nap as you come in from your interview, perhaps you have found the ideal employer.
  By the way, we will address the issue of laziness later. Let me just say that if you like to take power naps, it doesn't mean that you aren't a productive worker. Many companies have the culture that we always have to be working from dawn to dusk. However, it is certainly not clear that such companies have higher success rates than companies with a more flexible, humane attitude towards working hours.

The Focussed Nap


Recently I have been investigating the focussed nap. Let's say that there is an important issue on your mind. For example, you are wondering how to solve a problem at work. Or, there is a personal problem on your mind.
  In this case, simply lie down on your couch. Think about the problem. Then start taking your nap. As you are napping, your subconscious mind will work on the problem at hand. When you wake up, it is quite possible that you will have a solution.
  The focussed nap really illustrates the importance of napping. Sometimes your subconscious mind will find creative solutions that you cannot find during your waking hours. So you really need to unleash that mental power.
  But, usually the dreams are just random. So the focussed nap helps us to focus our subconscious power. It really takes practice to be a focussed napper, but it is a skill well worth acquiring.