Some cultures allow time after lunch for a siesta. It does seem the perfect time for a nap. There's something about eating lunch that can make one sleepy.
Traveling across country and acclimating to a new time zone and a different bed can also make a nap imperative. (Guess what's going on in my house right now - naps.)
I'm not much of a napper. I almost always feel worse after taking a nap than better. A 10-minute power nap will make me feel refreshed, but a half hour or more makes me feel groggy. I can nap sitting up (nod off while reading), but if I lie down, I can't go back to sleep.
My children couldn't wait until they were "too old to nap". I guess that meant they were grown up. When Betty and I were preschool age, Mom would take us in to lie down on her bed. She would read us a story to put us to sleep. More often than not, she was the one who went to sleep. Then Betty and I would quietly get up, go outside and play or sneak out to the stock tank to play in the water. That was the one big thing we were not supposed to do. Mom would wake up, come to find us and use a willow switch on the backs of our legs all the way back to the house. That wasn't enough of a deterrent, however, we'd be right back out at the tank at the next opportunity.
I've seen studies which purport napping as good for health. I think they are mostly suggesting short, refreshing, naps though some seem to o.k. longer naps. I guess I still have a hang-up about daytime napping for adults. Though today I am feeling a little sleepy........
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