Let me tell you how I went with my sleep challenge. Well, I feel better overall. My mood has improved, but I think I need more time to really see the effects. I will work on improving my sleep for another three weeks and see how I go.
I have noticed a difference in my eyes. I was worried about how red my eyes were in the morning recently from lack of sleep. That symptom seemed to have disappeared this week. I have had solid nights sleep and I seem to fall asleep quite easily. I think that as the days increase I am getting more and more used to sleeping well.
I decided not to measure the amount of sleep that I had. I did not decide to sleep or wake at a certain time. I just decided to sleep a little earlier than I do normally, and this seemed to do the trick. I thought that I already had enough deadlines to deal with in my life and I didn’t want to place that on my sleeping patters as well.
It has got me thinking about ways that I could enhance my resting and I thought about how effective napping could be. For me, I am only comfortable napping at home so I would not do a siesta-style nap after lunch every day, but I have heard mixed information about the pros and cons of napping. Apparently, the duration of your napping is the key.
According to a survey conducted on the elderly in Saudi Arabia, extended naps of over 90 minutes at a time were associated with a decline in cognitive abilities. The study also highlighted the concern that extended napping could be associated with severe dementia. So it does sound like much sleep could be a bad thing.
There is more literature out there stating that napping for more than 30 to 60 minutes benefits athletes that have had either a normal night’s sleep or moderate sleep deprivation. Their cognitive and physical performance improved from the shorter naps.
I guess the takeaway is that napping is good for you if you really need it, but if you are not tired then it could be damaging. Personally for me, I feel quite groggy after oversleeping so you will not find me snoring on the sofa in the afternoon for too long.
Let me know how your sleep is going and what is working for you in the comments.
