I pondered for a moment. “I like to read,” I said. “I walk a lot.” And then I recalled what I planned to do as soon as I got home. “Also,” I told her,“I really like to nap.”
The hairdresser sighed. “Lucky you,” she said. “I don’t get time to nap.”
“I make time for it!” I exclaimed. “It’s my favourite thing in the world!” I could hear the passion in my voice,and I suddenly winced.
Oh my god,I thought. Is napping myhobby?
Is it OK to love my daytime sleep with such a passion?iStock
I began napping during the day when my kids were babies,as a way of mediating my disturbed nighttime rest. When the kids got older,and I returned to my usual eight hours,I gave up my daytime naps. I’d still take the occasional kip on the couch when I was on holidays,or fall asleep when taking my kids to the movies (I quite literally slept through every single G-rated film from 1999 to 2019). Usually,however,I managed to stay awake for an entire day – sometimes a whole 16 hours at a stretch!
Over the past few months,however,I have been taking to my bed again (or my couch,or my partner’s couch,or pretty much any couch,really) most afternoons. I am not unwell. I am not depressed. I simply adore my naps.
A daytime rest is a joy,but it is not so much being unconscious that is pleasurable;it is,rather,the act ofbecoming unconscious. I kick off my shoes,put on my eye-hat (the black T-shirt I throw on my head to block out the light),and feel myself being pulled deliciously into slumber. At night,I can lie awake for an hour or more before I drop off. During the day,for reasons I cannot quite fathom,I am out like a light in seconds.
I wonder,sometimes,if it’s OK to love sleep with such a passion. Is it normal to wake up in the morning looking forward to my nap? Is it acceptable to sneak in a quick sleep in the afternoon,even when I’m not especially tired?
After all,I don’t reallyneed a daytime sleep,not any more. When the kids were young,my naps were a necessity. They kept me sane. They were medicinal! These days,my naps are entirely an indulgence. I could do without them. I could pull an all-dayer if I had to.
But I don’t have to. I work from home,and I can nap during the day if I so choose. And taking a little break from being an adult – from having to get through my to-do list,make decisions,consider other people,perform,parent,think! – is so deeply restorative that I do.
My family understand my fondness for naps,and know to keep a wide berth when I am on the couch.
“Are you having your nap now,Mum?” my daughter asked me today as I headed downstairs to my bedroom.
“It’s nine in the morning!” I said indignantly. “I’m just getting my walking shoes!”
She shrugged. My daughter finds it exciting to be awake at 2am. I find it exciting to be asleep at 2pm. We are at very different stages of our circadian journeys.
I remember what it was like to be 16,and to consider sleep a complete waste of my time. And,to be fair,my kid has a point. Life is short,and it ends in the longest sleep of them all. I could be using my limited time much more productively;I could learn a new language,or do yoga,or bake sourdough,or do absolutely anything other than lying prone.
But napping helps me to be a better person. It is my therapy,my sanctuary,my self-care routine. It makes me more tolerant,more cheerful,and more energised when I’m awake. What’s more,it is free,it is portable,and it requires no special equipment. (Honestly,I can nap anywhere,at almost any time,and I don’t even have to be lying down!)
Nappingis my hobby,and a fine one at that. And I am headed to the couch to work on it right now.
Kerri Sackville is an author,a columnist and a mother of three. Her new book isThe Secret Life of You:How a bit of alone time can change your life,relationships and maybe the world.
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