I was taking my morning after-breakfast nap, thinking about lunch and then my after-lunch nap, and dinner then my after-dinner nap. Napping is observed in many parts of the world! Americans and Japanese tend to nap the most. While Mexico, Spain, and many Mediterranean, Middle East, Southern Europe, and China are famous for their siesta, Americans and Japanese are the clear winners!
The Japanese have even invented the napping station, a creative tube sleeping nook that might be mistaken for an MRI machine. Some companies house a room full of them, and you can find them in the communities. The napper in need of a rest can walk up, put their credit card in the machine, climb in, and take a nap. When they awake, the unit calculates the charge and applies it to your credit card. It reminds me of traveling with my parents when I was a child; we would stay in a motel where every bed was outfitted with a unit called “Magic Fingers!” The device was invented by John Houghtaling in 1958; it is attached to the bed, and for a quarter, the bed would vibrate and relax you for 15 minutes! As a child, I remember that it worked! In the movie National Lampoons Vacation, there is a hilarious scene where the “Magic Fingers” get out of control, and Clark and Ellen Griswold end up sleeping on the floor! Today, you can buy massage pads for your bed! You may still find them for sale on eBay!
Why focus on naps? Short naps increase productivity and creativity. My average nap is 20 minutes long, but I feel a difference even with a 10-minute nap. They call short naps “Power Naps!”
Instead of trying to pump up with an energy drink, coffee, or other stimulants, a short nap can work wonders! The United States Military permits soldiers to nap when circumstances allow, especially during continuous operations.
Who naps the most? Ages 55 and over. It seems the government is talking about raising the Social Security age to 75 years old; based on the data, it should be lowered to 55 years old; the 55 group naps an average of 135 days a year, and the 25-34 group naps only 84.8 days a year!
Famous people who took naps are Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, and Albert Einstein. Einstein used to hold a spoon in his hand to take a nap; when the spoon hit the desk, he would wake up! More recently, John F. Kennedy, Mark Cuban, Kanye West, and many more!
My dogs take naps regularly. The koala is the king napper in the animal world; they can nap up to 22 hours a day! This is followed by the sloth, which sleeps 10-20 hours daily. Snails can take a nap for 3 years, wow! Even the tiny hydra takes naps.
After writing my column, I feel a nap coming on!
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – © Joel M. Vernier 2/12/2024 Author of: “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer.” joelmvernier@aol.com
