Your Monday Photo Shoot: Nap Time!

"If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters."

-Jim Davis (Attributed)

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show off your favorite place to nap, that's not your bed. Couches, hammocks, recliners... let's see where you doze in repose.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

I took a sleep hygiene course a while back, because I have been a lifelong sufferer of insomnia. I learned a lot of very valuable skills for dealing with sleeplessness, one of the most important being that when I do lie down to sleep, it should always be in a bed. Not a couch, not a chair... a bed. Well, I tried to follow that suggestion, and I found that it was true. Once I stopped trying to sleep a full eight hours on my sofa, and actually got into my bed to sleep I did a whole lot better. My sofa was comfy, but nothing replaced the routine of sleeping in my bedroom.

Another useful hint I learned from that class, was the importance of the midday nap. For that, my the instructions weren't so rigid, in fact it was suggested that by taking a 30 minute nap as a refresher, it could help with trying to sleep for extended periods, such as the solid 8 hours that is recommended. The instructor of the course said that a nap could be taken anywhere, as long as it was no longer then 30 minutes in length. I have found that I don't have a choice whether or not I listen to my body about sleep, it tells me loud and clear what it needs. Since I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I have learned the importance of sleep in making the rest of my body less achy. So, in addition to meditation, Qi Gong, and T'ai Chi, I also take a 30 minute nap as needed.

I usually sleep by my pool in the summer months, and sometimes well into autumn and winter, but this year it just hasn't been possible because of unseasonably cold temperatures and record rainfall. So, when I am in the house I take naps in my bed, but on days like today when it was clear and warm, I like to sleep under my pear tree in my back yard. I have a comfy, cozy blanket, my favorite vanilla scented pillow, and all the fresh air I can breathe. Most of the time, Elvis will cuddle up to me. He is my protector. LOL. It is a good feeling to hear his purr and feel his paw pads on my face when he decides I have been resting long enough. He is the sweetest alarm clock I have ever had. Ahhh. Rest and renew.

-OndineMonet
"A Sleep Place"
Berkeley, California
May 22, 2006
Afternoon