To nap or not to nap...

bwleung89

I have been debating whether it is better to fight the urge to nap in order to be more productive or just to sleep for an hour. I feel that i would have a higher heart rate when i am awake but it may be better in the long run for a nap. Anyone have any opinions on this?

sue26

nap

ContinuousEffort

nap. I think feeling sleepy makes you feel hungry.

Christie81

I'd nap

whiskey9890

nap! surely if your body and mind are tired you won't be able to function efficiently. i am planning on a nap this afternon myself

ChassityGetsFit

I'd nap! I feel like the less I'm awake then the less I'll wanna snack on the bad things, LOL! I don't get to nap much so when I do I try to take advantage of it!

Mountain_woman

My mother has always touted the benefits of the power nap. I would think as long as it doesn't turn into a 3 hour nap, you'd be doing well with a pick me up nap.

bigmamma56

I'm assuming this is an afternoon nap you are referring so you are probably experiencing an energy slump at this time. My personal fitness trainer once told me that my urges to sleep mid afternnoon were due to poorly controlled food intake.I always feel like I want to sleep after I have eaten mid-day. I was advised to increase my resistence training to try and improve my stamina so that I could get through the day without napping...... However.....a 20 minute power nap is extremely beneficial and may be all you need to recharge your batteries.

suzycreamcheese

depends on your own sleep patterns.
If i slept during the day I wouldnt sleep at night, but i have sleep issues anyway (and never fall asleep in the day whether i try or not) but plenty of people swear by a powernap to get them through the day, and a siesta is the norm in a lot of countries.

Do what works for you

wolfchild59

If it's your calorie burn of awake vs. sleeping you're curious about, I compare the two on my BodyMedia Fit calories burned chart almost every day. And I typically burn .9-1.1 calories per minute while I sleep and 1-1.2 calories per minute when I sit around doing absolutely nothing. So if your alternative to napping is just sitting there, I'd say go for the nap since your body likely needs it if you feel that way a good, 20 min, nap can make you feel as rested as hours of sleep.

But you're going to do something, in place of napping (chores, errands, etc) then doing that would burn more calories then the nap.