Time is something precious we appreciate greatly and never have enough of. I don’t think people actually want a few more hours in a day, because then those minutes would be filled with more work, errands, and attempted fun. It’s never enough. We are a country tightly wrapped around the finger of a clock’s hand, but sometimes we need to slow it down.
A common misconception is that when we slow down, we’re wasting something we can never get back, but we also won’t ever have a chance to redo our entire rushed lives and appreciate relaxing experiences. Something I really enjoy as a relaxing activity, as time-sucking as it can be, is sleep.
People need roughly eight hours of sleep a night, but that does vary among people – especially between my sister, who needs at least 12, and myself who can function properly with six. I had to take a wellness class in college – yes, basically a middle school health class – but I learned something valuable: young people need more sleep. We have extra deep, slow-wave sleep and sleep helps us to continue to grow and mature. Why didn’t anyone tell me before now that there’s a reason we’re all “lazy” from 12 to 25??
As a night owl since birth (shout-out to my poor parents), I value sleep, but in a way that’s different than others. I’m sure some of you can relate to the desire to stay up later outweighing how tired we’ll be in the morning. Because of this, I have always highly valued naps and college has brought that to a whole new level.
Professors and upperclassmen did warn me upon my arrival that if I napped all through my breaks during the day, I would fall behind on productivity, but here I am, a soon-to-be senior in really good standing and I nap at least every other day. I have mastered the art of strategic napping, as many college students have, and I do not think I’m wasting my time.
I recognize that not only do I spend half of my days on Saturday and Sunday sleeping, but it’s incredibly unhealthy to sleep five or six hours on the weekdays and at least ten on the weekends. However, I have no shame in my sleeping habits. I feel as though I need the sleep I get, and I enjoy getting it. So thank you, John Lennon, for agreeing with me on the idea that “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time”. We all need to slow down a bit and smell the roses…or our freshly washed, warm sheets.
Sometimes waking up early is gratifying and presents me with ample opportunities to get done what I need or want to complete. But I somehow manage to still do that – and feel productive most of the time – while still frequently crawling back into bed after a long day.
You might not be a nap person and think I’m crazy, but that’s okay. All I ask is that you don’t assume I don’t value my time just because I do it differently than you do. Someday I’ll have even more reasons than I do now to be awake and functioning for most of the day, so I’m sleeping extra now to make up for those hours. If you want, I’ll add 10 extra minutes to my nap tomorrow for you too. Only 10? Yeah, come on, I got things to do.
