I love a good nap. As soon as the blankie hits me, I'm out like a light. It could be 20 minutes or 2 hours. One of the great perks of being retired. :)

I would love to take a nap, but unfortunately, my job interferes. LOL

I've taken a nap in my (parked) car just like you did previously. When the sun is shining and warming up the car like that it's so easy!

I've never been an afternon napper, but it's a given that shortly after settling into my chair to watch tv in the evening, I will doze off. Hubby calls it my nappy chair.

I take afternoon naps whenever I can. As mentioned, it is one of the great perks of being retired!

Truth be told, I've been known to take mid-morning naps as well :-) And I can justify that to myself pretty easily as I often get up very early.........usually between 4-5 am. Sometimes I feel I've put a full day in before noon!

But the only place I can nap is at home. Just don't feel comfy and relaxed about it anywhere else.

I do the same as gardengal and for the same reasons.

I would give anything to be able to take naps in the afternoon. :) Enjoy!!!!

Someone falling asleep at a lunch table may have a real problem.

I think I may have mentioned this in this forum before but regular daytime napping can be a sign of having a nighttime sleep disorder or other health problems. Sleep disorders can contribute to different serious health concerns and can increase the likelihood of suffering a heart attack or a stroke, as just two examples.

I've been under the good care of a medical school sleep disorder clinic for the last 20 years and their ongoing treatment methods have changed my life and my health. Before I started seeing them, I would nap at any opportunity, though back then it was only weekends and vacations that allowed time to do so. Since being under their care, I haven't taken another nap, nor felt the need to. Other participants in this forum have shared their similar health improvements from seeing sleep doctors.

For those who experience regular daytime sleepiness, consider consultation with a sleep doctor.

I love a good nap, too, but will only do so on the day bed in my office or on the couch, with a fire going.

Edited to add that I wrote my comment before seeing Elmer's. I, too, am another person who has been successfully treated for sleep disorders. When I first read of Glenda dosing off in her car, I was alarmed, too. Sleep apnea is so common these days.

It's also normal to become drowsy after a carb filled meal.

Hate naps! I feel like I’m burning daylight. If I ever do nap I wake up with a headache. However when I go to bed at night I generally fall asleep immediately.

Not intentionally. :-)))

(I do nod off sometimes. That's why I love watching programs on tape. I can back track and see just how long I was asleep)

I have no problem napping or sleeping at night and I am 79 years young.

As far as my napping in car, it was the first sunny day I've seen in days

Lots driving convertibles with tops down, people riding motorcycles, people taking dogs for walks, all because of a beautifully sunny day.l

Sun coming thru the car window, when I parked my car, just made it comfy cozy. My choice for where I took my nap.

Since I have Bell's Palsy I have been taking a nap whenever I get a little tired. I usually take them on my bed but sometimes on the couch. They say I need lots of rest right now so this can heal.

I don't like to do it , but some days I just can't help it. I can't sleep sitting up either

(wish I could) but I have to lay down .

Not normally but the last couple of years I've gotten so tired in the middle of the day I have laid down to nap on occasion.

I don't like naps. I feel more tired after a nap rather than restored. I much prefer to sleep a solid 7 or 8 hours, then get up and stay up. That way, when its time to go back to bed, I am tired enough to sleep another solid 7 or 8 or even 9 hours.

I go to sleep easily, and often tell myself that, being somewhat short of sleep at night, I should nap in the afternoon - but seldom do.

Greetings DawnInCal,

I hope that you don't develop a news for a REAL nappy anytime soon!

(Helpful Harry in the machine changed the "need" that I wrote to "news" - don't ask me why, and he doesn't give reasons ... so I figured that, since I correct his ideas so often, that I'd just let him have his way, this time.

So what did he, ungrateful wretch do? Half way through "reasons", he had to change to "team" and "team's", etc. about three times ... and messed with "way" too, the frustration generator!).

(Maybe I should have tried "frustration begetter" at the end, to confuse him!).

ole joyfuelled

Aside from the nappy chair, I have no need for nappies!

Oh, and I just detest the auto correct on mobile devices. Many times after I've proofread a post and posted, I'll come back to see words or spellings altered to something nonsensical or ridiculous. So annoying!

I do sometimes if I don't sleep well. I usually sleep fine but wake up very easily, and once I'm awake, I can't fall back asleep. I woke up at 5 today after staying up till midnight and I was dying for a nap but didn't indulge.

I find I have to do 3 hours for a nap. Less or more and I feel really groggy. Sometimes I can do 90 minutes. I've heard sleep cycles are 90 minutes so interrupting them can cause grogginess.

I do get very sleepy if I eat too many carbs. I also have mild sleep apnea but insurance says it's too mild to treat so no CPAP for me. It's dumb because you'd think they would want to treat it before it comes more severe but that's insurance for you.

My issue with sleep had to do with diffucult to diagnose and treat insomnia. It took quite a long time with a series of specialists until I felt 'cured'.

I don't take naps unless I'm ill. Life is too short to waste it napping. haha

I grew up taking naps! It's a habit, not a health problem. Memories of afternoon naps on the front porch with my sister on the quilt mother would lay down for us to nap on. Sunday naps with family on the living room floor, no ac back then,and we'd have the big fan going.

Grandson gave up naps, early, as his mother wasn't accustomed to naps.

What's wrong with a nap? I'm retired, my time is my own. I'm married, we have dogs. It's not unusual for all of to nod off after lunch. Such a luxury...

A measure (not the only one) of poor sleep effectiveness is sleepiness during the day. People who get restful and effective nighttime sleep shouldn't need a regular nap. The fact that someone goes to bed and doesn't wake until the morning may only mean you have no insomnia, hardly the only sleep problem many have. I used to sleep through the night and yet felt sleepy at times during the day (pre-treatment) Hot and muggy weather can make people sleepy but for those whose homes have air conditioning, that may no longer apply.

What can be wrong - irregular heart beat, irregular breathing, obstructed breathing (all these three leading to unhealthy reduced oxygen levels in the bloodstream), unusual brain activity, and on and on with many other possible problems. I know a short list of issues I and friends and family have discovered. It's a small subset of the possibilities that can cause poor sleep and daytime sleepiness.

Glenda, my docs are considered experts in the field and I repeat what they've told me. I hope you're not suggesting you know more about it than they do.

The only time I nap is if I am I'll or coming down with something.

I have to be in bed under the covers.

Dawn, we have a 'sleep seat'. It's a large leather chair with oversized ottoman. My SIL originally bought it, finally agreed it wasn't in scale with the size of her room and gave it to me. It's barely in scale here, but oh-so-comfy.

I can sleep just about anywhere. I don't usually nap though, because I fall so soundly asleep that I wake up feeling almost drugged, or groggy and not refreshed. The place I can sleep lightly and wake up bright and easily is outside. On a chaise on my deck, with a book or without a book...I can fall into a light sleep that I can benefit from. I think I had time to do that all of twice last year ;0)

Ha, morz, those sleeping seats are the perfect place to make a little nest and snuggle in!

Speaking of sleeping outside, I have a hammock that I hang out on the deck in the summer. I sometimes read out there and have been known to doze off while lounging in the hammock.

I am a summer hammock user too. I am not normally a napper but I pretty much know that a book and the hammock will result in a short sleep at some point. When I was younger and people still laid out in the sun the same result would come from lounging on a pool float. Naps simply mean you have achieved total relaxation. It's not the same as if one were falling asleep at their desk or or in the middle of dinner.

Taking a nap intentionally leaves me groggy. But these catnaps work out just fine.

People with untreated sleep apnea who don't get a good nights rest tend to nap.
Many people without sleep apnea like to nap.

Doctors who deal day in and out with a certain segment of the population (in this case people with sleep disorders) are going to have biases just like regular people. Exposure creates a certain mindset about many things in life.

There are plenty of studies out there by doctors who are experts in their field who say naps are a good thing. They are only a problem if they interfere with a good nights sleep. It comes down to why you are napping, napping in itself has more benefits than negatives for many people.

watchmelol, exactly! For many years, my career went up a path that kept me very busy in the mornings and then again from 3:00 p.m. until about 10:00. That's when I learned about power naps!

I'd come, change my clothes, grab some lunch, take the phone off the hook and then stretch out on the couch with a comfy pillow and soft quilt. In seconds, I'd fall into a deep, dream filled sleep, waking up naturally and comfortably......after 15 to 20 minutes! It was exhilarating; my mind and body recharged to either lead a community committee or to teach classes to a bunch of adults working hard to get their two-year degree.

Fifteen minutes. I never set an alarm and never over slept.

I've taken daytime naps. In the car. I was working 75-80 hours a week, going to school with a 12 hour load, and in my twenties. The warm car is a nice, quiet place for a nap. I do sometimes take daytime naps on Sunday, because I can. Nothing like telling myself I can sit still and do nothing, even stare at the shadows on the ceiling with the light streaming through. I like to lie in the couch where there are six windows on the western side of the house in the afternoon. Sometimes, it's so relaxing and the cat is so fluffy, I might just doze off.

I take naps now that I am retired, especially since I seem to still wake up very early in the morning as I used to do when working.

But also, for the first time in my life, there are times when I nod off while watching TV in the evening.

Glenda, my docs are considered experts in the field and I repeat what they've told me.

Parroting what your doctors told you about your particular condition is not necessarily wise advice for others who may not have your condition and who may not be ill at all.

It's a habit, not a health problem.

That certainly seems the case for you Glenda, you seem active and healthy.

Many people take mid day naps as a matter of course. Mid day naps are common and expected occurrences in some countries 'siestas' where businesses actually shut down in the early afternoon for a few hours, then reopen, because naps are a cultural norm for them.

There are plenty of studies out there by doctors who are experts in their field who say naps are a good thing. They are only a problem if they interfere with a good nights sleep. It comes down to why you are napping, napping in itself has more benefits than negatives for many people.

Thank you, Watchmelol

Past Kindergarten (where napping children save teachers' sanity) if I napped, it was proof that I was sick. If I wake at night, it's usually because I hurt. (Proof being that I can go back to sleep quickly after taking a plain Tylenol 500.) I may not be conscious of pain, but it's strong enough to break through and wake me.

Since my diagnosis of multiple myeloma last May, and while taking the chemo to treat it, I have been lying down for 20 - 30 minutes between two and three in the afternoon. I wake/get up automatically in time for our 'Teatime Matinee' at three. I don't always sleep or sleep for the whole time.

I'm almost 78. My body is wearing out from age, even separate from the MM. My favorite ankle-length warm robe will soon sweep the floor; I've lost two inches in two years.

We do not control our bodies as much as we may believe we do.

Chisue I have heard that many older people take Tylenol (not Tylenol PM) as a sleep aid.

There is a big difference from needing to nap compared to wanting or liking to nap!! When my schedule demands it, I often work from before daylight to well into the nighttime hours without any additional rest or napping. But in the winter months when I am not so busy and the weather is dreary, a nap is a delightful break in the day's routine!!

I would not immediately equate a desire to nap on occasion with any sort of sleep issue......as someome earlier stated, "sometimes a cheese sandwich is just a cheese sandwich" :-)

"Doctors who deal day in and out with a certain segment of the population (in this case people with sleep disorders) are going to have biases"

Many of the docs I've been seen by over the years at Stanford have been pioneers of the field and are considered among the very best from both a research and patient treatment standpoint. They've seen and investigated all aspects of sleep disorders.

To me, they have profound knowledge. Not biases.

Many people carry a standard attitude "it's okay because that's what I do" for so many things. If you feel that way, fine, there's no discussion to have.

Nothing wrong with naps, I know many people take them.

As for me, I can't sleep during the day unless I am ill.

Husband used to take lots of naps and sometimes fell asleep at night while watching TV. Turns out he had a stomach bacterial infection called h pylori, which caused major reflux at night and kept him from getting a good night's sleep. He was put on a 2 week course of 3 different antibiotics plus nexium which eradicated the bacteria and has been sleeping like a baby. And no more need for naps or falling asleep outside of bedtime.

How can the simplest post turn into a debate? Sheesh.

People who get restful and effective nighttime sleep shouldn't need a regular nap

Not one person here has said that they

1) NEED a

2) REGULAR nap, so any debate is moot.

There are those in the habit of taking a nap because they like it, that is not a need. There are those of us who love naps sometime. That is not regular.

I never sleep during the day unless I'm ill, but right now I NEED a nap big time!. I've been battling sciatica for the last couple weeks and I don't think I've been able to sleep for more than an hour straight during that time without getting woken by the pain in my leg. I missed work all of last week but I'm gritting my teeth and trying to work every day this week.

I've closed my eyes several times today and awoke when my head started to bob. I think I'll be leaving early.

Elmer - you need to get off your elitist, narrow visioned soapbox. While it is true that Stanford had the first Sleep Clinic in the USA, studies of sleep disorders go back centuries. That machine that keeps so many alive while sleeping today was the result of of an Australian working on sleep apnea in Canada. Stanford has some excellent doctors and does some wonderful research that leads to many breakthroughs but they are not gods. Nearly every study one reads suggests excessive daytime fatigue or napping is a sign of trouble, not taking naps to refresh oneself or for simple downtime and relaxation. I doubt you can find one doctor at Stanford that will insist that all napping means one has a sleep disorder. I am pretty sure you would find many of those experts catch a mid day nap themselves now and then. You seem to worship at the altar of expert. It's sad that you see the value in people as what they were taught out of books or where they practice their craft rather than what they have learned. I know a lot of experts in various areas. But each and every expert has met another expert who has a counterview. Your expert isn't always necessarily the correct one.

https://www.resmed.com/ap/dam/documents/articles/clinical_newsletter/resmedica14.pdf

Once, I took a nap while seated in the driver's seat of my car. All went well until I slumped forward onto the steering wheel and blew the car horn. I woke up!

I generally don't take naps. Unless I go to the movies. I'm not the type of person to sit around at home at all or at work. I'm on the go. If I go to a movie mid-afternoon and have to sit down which I do I'm out like a light for 20 minutes; it never fails :-). DH happily fills me in on the part I missed.

I sleep very well and have no sleep disorders or issues.

Was invited to a private showing of Grinch, Christmas. Invited a friend to go with me. He told me I slept half way thru the movie. He enjoyed it! lol

Was chilly, in the theater, left my jacket on, got warm, and then came the zzzz's.

Elmer, you could suck the joy out of anything!

jemdandy, it wasnt during a nap, but i was up late one night while sitting in front of my computer when i fell asleep and did a faceplant on the keyboard. Im not sure what part of my face was pressed against the 'z' key, but when i woke up there were thousands of z's typed across the monitor!

Need a nap in the daytime can certainly be a symptom of a sleep disorder. It can also be a "symptom" of old age and less activity. I don't know anyone my age who doesn't say that they often fall asleep at night during the regular Primetime TV shows. Some do have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine, but they still doze off.

Others take naps due to health issues that cause fatigue. My late mother had Lupus and had always turned up her nose a her sister who took a daily nap; she found she herself truly had to do so. Some people find a short nap is an energizer, the "executive power nap".

There are as many reasons as there are people. Yes, if one sleeps well during the night and feels exhausted the next morning, a sleep study done by a specialist is in order. If one falls asleep early and then wakes up and has insomnia for hours, this should be checked. If one regularly has a drink or two before dinner or wine/beer with a meal and falls asleep afterwards, blame the alcohol and cut back or cut it out altogether. My late FIL had two rum and tonics for decades, each night before dinner. When he reached his mid-80's, he had no trouble going to sleep (and actually went up pretty early) but would awaken in the night and lie awake for hours. His doctor told him to cut back to ONE rum & tonic before bedtime, but he was a stubborn old cuz and said he'd done the same thing for 60 years and was not changing. Oh well...

A bit of "sleeping over a good book" or dozing off while watching TV is usually nothing morbid that requires any treatment.