
I need to be careful with this one because my science background could easily come out and this could turn into a lecture on appropriate number of hours and how to maximize on your REM cycles! So instead, I wanted to tie the topic into my life in the residence halls. I attached the picture of Conan O'Brien and Seth Green wearing googly eyes and sneaking a nap "while still looking busy" because that is the world I live in. My sister would make fun of me for posting this video since I have put googly eyes on so many things in the past, but living in a residence hall, sleep can sometimes be nonexistent.
I'm currently dealing with a judicial situation that happened last night at 4am and I was "lucky enough" to have two RAs, who were pulling all-nighters, see the incident. It always amazes me how most events in the hall do not happen at "convenient" hours and usually occur as soon as your head hits the pillow. I will be on call for campus emergencies this weekend and I'm already storing hours of precious sleep time. I know one of my nights could easily be spent at a hospital taking care of a resident. By no means am I complaining, the positives of residence life far outweigh the negatives, but it only makes you appreciate the power of a nap so much more!
Recently I had a staff development activity with my RAs where we made "HALT" kits. To summarize, these kits are designed to re-energize you when you begin to halt your productivity. "Halting" usually occurs when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired (Get it?!) So as I was coming up with fun trinkets that could fill each kit such as granola bars, stress balls, staff pictures, etc., I found a picture called "Mastering the Art of Napping" found here. I have seen multiple graphics like this before, but never as intricate.
Over the past few weeks, I have tried to use this graphic in order to get the best sleep possible. I usually tend to go with the "NASA Nap" (26 minutes for alertness) or the "Slow-wave sleep nap" (60 minutes for cognitive memory) and both have proven to be very effective. After my sleep, I feel renewed and ready to take the day on full force! I promised myself I wouldn't turn this post into a lecture on getting your eight hours of sleep, but make sure you still aim for this. We have to remember how important it is to refuel our energy sometimes. If this also involves a couple of googly eyes and endless entertainment, so be it! :)