So… you just had a stellar supper.
Filling. Satiating. And all of your sanguine contents have traveled to your gastric cavity to digest it. Obviously, that leaves you super sleepy. But you don’t wanna move from the sofa just yet. I mean, you’ve been at work all day. You’ve been looking forward to Queer Eye since six A.M.. Life shouldn’t be all about work with no down time. So, maybe just a little snooze, right here on the sofa, is in order before officially throwing in the towel and hitting the hay. That’s totally fine, right?
Unfortunately… No.
According to sleep specialists, this practice (of which I’m particularly guilty, btw), is no bueno for sueño time. And it’s kind of funny too – because I always rag on my poor boyfriend about his incessant insomnia being caused by long post work naps. “Don’t nap so close to bedtime,” I say. “It’ll keep you awake later,” I say. But, jump cut over to me and my own horrible habits, and I’m truly no better with my post dinner sofa dozing. In a way, sleep is kinda like something you hafta pay for. And you have to pay for it with this sort of “sleep pressure” that builds up over the day. That means bae’s midday naps and my pre-night lie downs equally pilfer pressure from that sleepiness we need. The result? The dozing loan sharks come in the night, cut off our snooze appendages, and send our would-be blissful sleeps to the bottom of an insomnia ocean in concrete boots.
But you wanna know the good news? The good news is that this doesn’t hafta mean you just clock out early altogether and deprive yourself of conscious downtime. Not at all. There are simple fixes for delaying uninterrupted dream time until later. For example, if sleepiness hits you in the mid afternoon, try productive tasks that don’t demand so much focus – like a light jog, walk, or that laundry mountain you’ve been procrastinating on folding for so long that it almost needs another go in the dryer for dewrinkling. Or, if it hits you right after dinner when you’re mid Netflix and you’re done moving your body for the day, the tip is simple: remain vertical. (Or get in a position that prevents you from nodding off.)
For me, so long as I don’t lie down, I’m good to go. But the second my skull hits a pillow, I’m doomed.
(Me actively forcing myself to enjoy mindlessness instead’ve faceplanting on a carpet I don’t have the energy to vaccume.)
So don’t fret about rest smiting your downtime.
Just delay daytime dozing for a next level nocturnal rest!