I just finished reading an article in the StarTribune, our local daily newspaper titled, The Army’s newest weapon – napping. The StarTribune article was originally published in the New York Times and reviews new updates to military recommendations on fitness and readiness.
I happen to be a fan of napping. I justify it because I generally only get 5 to 6 hours of sleep in the evening and a nap in the afternoon will allow me to do what I do.
The StarTribune article described how the Army’s physical fitness training field manual, titled the FM 7-22 Holistic Health and Fitness manual now includes a section on the art of napping. The new manual advises that “Soldiers can use short, infrequent naps to restore wakefulness and promote performance,” The section describes sleep as essential element of Soldier readiness and it’s impact on brain function, cognition (thought processing), the immune system, and recovery after physical activity.
My approach to napping is validated.
But I don’t feel that an extended nap serves me well. If I can nap 15 to 20 minutes, I can wake refreshed and ready to continue with my life’s work or non-work depending on my day.
So I often start my nap with the instruction to Siri, “set timer for 20 minutes.” I then can set the phone nearby and do what the Army recommends. In fact, I have written an online Nugget #7 Use Siri to Set Timers and Alarms specifically for this opportunity.
If you need to review the methods for summoning Siri, you can find these techniques and an extensive list of Siri commands in the Senior Tech Club’s recipe # 12 Getting to Know Siri.
Have fun and be productive with napping!
