How to nap • Hacker News Board

Re: How to nap

#131

Post by microtonal » Wed, Jan 11, 2012, 4:11 PM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #89

eric-hu wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Other sources I've read suggest that around 15 minutes of sleep is optimal, and going over puts you into a different phase of sleep. Perhaps you have an easier time falling asleep than others. When I try to nap, I'm pretty sure it takes ~5 minutes to doze off usually, but sometimes even more than that.

I have not tried this, but have read about this technique: When you start your nap, hold something in your hand that will make a noise if you drop it. As your body relaxes and you start to sleep, you will eventually relax your grip enough that the object will fall to the floor and wake you up. This happens at just about the ideal wake time for a short power nap.

That's a nice trick.

During meditation retreats, I often fell asleep during the first morning sessions. My teacher said that this was ok, but gave me comparable tip if I wanted to stay awake: meditate standing, when falling asleep, your body will always wake up in moments to stay balanced.

Re: How to nap

#132

Post by bh42222 » Wed, Jan 11, 2012, 4:28 PM UTC

callahad wrote: post #81

gnosis wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so unnecessary and demeaning. At least bring along one of those little bean-bag pillows you could prop your head on. But the real solution is for the company to provide sleeping facilities at work and not to work their employees to the point of exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

not to work their employees to the point of exhaustion and sleep deprivation. Genuinely curious: How much of the sleep deprivation is due to employment practices, and how much is due to, say, American cultural values? Are we sleeping less because our employers or our social lives demand more?

One hour+ commute, enough time to prep and eat or go out and eat food, enough time at night to not go bed right after eating, not good for your health, squeeze in an hour of exercise per day, a tiny bit of social interaction with friends and/or family, equals less than 8 (some times even less than 7) hours of sleep. And over the long term for most people 6 hours a night results in sleep deprivation.

But some are lucky genetic mutants. I am not one of them.

Re: How to nap

#133

Post by SoftwareMaven » Wed, Jan 11, 2012, 5:08 PM UTC

DirkScheuring wrote: post #45

bh42222 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just have an incredibly hard time imagining how I could nap on a yoga mat in my cubile without everyone else stopping to watch it like a circus, and my manger wanting to discuss why I am literally sleeping on the job.

Would he not understand it if you just told him the truth? "I'm doing it because, overall, it makes me more productive."

In an open office if it wasn't part of the company culture, few bosses will accept it. The political ramifications of having your employees sleeping when the VP walks by are too great (and, often, the manager won't even have the option to explain why it's good). I fully understand the benefits of napping, but I would demand employees to "get a room", for their sake and mine.

Re: How to nap

#134

Post by botker » Thu, Jan 12, 2012, 3:55 AM UTC

zcid wrote: post #103

botker wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here. I've been allowing myself to sleep pretty much whenever I feel like it for the past several months, and I don't appear to have any sleep pattern. Sometimes I sleep 3 or 4 hours, and wake up feeling well-rested and ready to get back to work; other times I'll sleep 12 hours at a stretch. It's irrespective of the 24-hour day. After reading your comment, I'm going to start logging my sleep, to see if there's a…

If you removed artificial lighting (including computer screens, tv, etc) from your life between sunset and sunrise, I can almost guarantee your sleep would fall into a pattern. Artificial light wrecks havoc on our automatic systems and stops our internal clocks from properly tracking time. I highly recommend you try this for a month. Have a set time (say, 10-12PM) after which you will be able to get 8 hours of sleep…

I have a hunch that you might be absolutely right. But it's unclear to me whether following this advice would improve my quality of life. Right now I'm productive, working whenever I can without respect to the clock. Limiting my productivity just so I can conform to an Earth day seems like it could be counterproductive.

Re: How to nap

#135

Post by anujkk » Thu, Jan 12, 2012, 7:54 AM UTC

tobtoh wrote: post #69

For those wondering how to nap at the office and not get hauled into the managers office for sleeping on the job, I paraphrase a tip from Scott Adams (Dilbert): "Grab a handful of paperclips and find an office/meeting room. Shut the door and lie down on the ground with your feet against the door. Sprinkle the paperclips in front of you. Now have a nap. If someone tries to enter the room, the door will hit your feet.…

I saw my senior sleeping with his eyes open. He was looking at monitor but wasn't doing anything. It appeared as if he was thinking about something. Only when I touched his shoulder to get his attention, I realized he was actually sleeping.

Re: How to nap

#136

Post by johndoie » Fri, Jan 13, 2012, 4:31 AM UTC

cpayne624 wrote: post #120

tobtoh wrote: post #69

For those wondering how to nap at the office and not get hauled into the managers office for sleeping on the job, I paraphrase a tip from Scott Adams (Dilbert): "Grab a handful of paperclips and find an office/meeting room. Shut the door and lie down on the ground with your feet against the door. Sprinkle the paperclips in front of you. Now have a nap. If someone tries to enter the room, the door will hit your feet.…

"What the hell are you doing in this empty office with all those damn paper clips, man?"

I can relate.

Re: How to nap

#137

Post by samspot » Fri, Jan 13, 2012, 10:54 PM UTC

mkopinsky wrote: post #82

darylteo wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ONLY twice? I set my alarms at 8, and I snooze it till 8:30.

Why not set your alarm for 8:25? I've found that the time snoozing is just time that makes me feel guilty. Make realistic goals, and then stick to it rather than ruining your last half hour of sleep with noise and guilt.

On the contrary I greatly enjoy my snoozing time. When I wake up in the morning i'm at my most comfortable, and drifting off to sleep is nice. Plus I get that weird dream continuation thing going :)