Where to plop down...

I'm an ardent believer in naps. I'm always thrilled when I see doctors endorse them as part of a healthy lifestyle. I've blogged before about I've perfected the fine art of sleeping on my school bus (not while driving, of course). But there is always a debate that occurs when the topic of naps pops up. Where to plop down?

There are two camps: one side that returns to the piece of furniture designed for sleep, the bed, and the other group that would never slip under the covers for a nap but instead always seeks out a couch or a recliner. Group 1 always brings up the comfort factor and the familiarity factor - once in the bed, your body automatically knows what to do and sleep comes naturally. Group 2 sez that is the best way to ruin a nap...for by making your body comfortable, you open yourself up for a 2-hour nap, a guaranteed ticket for waking up miserable and ruining the prospects for good sleep that particular night.

I've tried it both ways...if it's in the 20's outside and if it's a dark, cloudy Sunday afternoon, the bed is way more seductive than the couch. But generally, I fall into Group 2 and curl up on the couch. There I'm assured that something will go bang or the phone will ring, or UPS will throw a box against the door and the nap has no chance of getting out of control and going 2 hours. I've found that I can nod off to sleep on the couch with the TV on and even with a grandchild in the room, something that would be unthinkable if occurring at bedtime.

I'm sure there's more to say about this conundrum, like how 45 minutes is the magic nap duration, but my eyes are growing heavy...