Many of my friends have self-proclaimed titles of the “nap queen." I’ve met people who have to take an afternoon nap like they need their morning cup of coffee. Over the past year I’ve done some experimenting and I’ve realized: I am not a nap person. *gasp* Aren’t naps a necessity in college? For some people, yes! They need a nap to continue their day, but I just can’t do it. My problem is that when I sleep, I sleep. I am not capable of sleeping for 30 minutes then go about my business and feel like Snow White. Yes, I will admit to having pulled a few all-nighters (or 12?) and at some point the next day I need a pick me up nap; however, once I’m out, I’m out. If I go to sleep I’m usually going to nap for two or more hours. To be completely honest, the shortest power nap I’ve ever taken lasted a little over an hour and that was only because the night before I begged my roommate to wake me up 20 minutes before class so I could roll my reanimated corpse out of bed and do a nice fast-walk/jog to class.
Another unappealing quality naps have is the feeling I get when I wake up. If you’re a fan or you’re a past fan or you’ve just turned on AMC and accidentally watched the first episode of The Walking Dead, I’m sure you remember when Rick woke up from his coma. This is my exact feeling after a nap.
I once woke up from one of my famous five-hour naps to an empty house. On instinct I tried to call my mother who, like usual, didn’t answer. So of course my first reaction was that the rapture had occurred and I had been left behind. I was panicked for the 15 minutes it took my mother to call me back to inform me that the rapture had, in fact, not occurred but that we were going to church that Sunday just in case.
The last problem I have with naps is the condition it puts my body and mind in after my snooze. I feel like a literal piece of trash. My face is greasy, my eyes are heavy, and my body is sluggish. It’s horrendous; I feel like a bear that just woke from hibernation. Don't get me started on the state of my mind after a nap. It begins as hazy and then slowly clears itself up, but then the rest of the day I am 100 percent unmotivated. All I want to do is lay in my nest for the remainder of the day. I think I'm wallowing in the fact that I'm a 19 year old that just took a nap after my lunch, which is a very similar schedule to my seven month old cousin.No matter how cute I think the "Nah'Ima'stay in Bed" shirts are, I could never wear one proudly. I'd be a liar and I'm just not that kind of girl. I tend to get more done with my day and get a better night's rest without a nap.
So, cheers to all the other anti-nappers out there. Just drink that third cup of coffee and power through.
