CRyder Design

What Have I Been Up To?

If you are a frequent napper like I am, you might be curious what your naps would look like if they were tracked. This week, I was inspired by Dear Data and recorded my naps as well as some of the circumstances that surround them. I kept a record of what time I napped, and for how long, where I was, what the weather was like, how I was feeling, if I worked that day, and if I had other obligations that needed to be taken care of that day (to see if I was napping to procrastinate).

Benefits of Napping

In my opinion, there isn’t much that can beat an afternoon nap. But there is actually some research that supports the benefits of napping. The Mayo Clinic highlights some of the benefits of napping for adults as:

• Relaxation
• Reduced Fatigue
• Increased Alertness
• Improved Mood
• Improved Performance (including quicker reaction time and better memory)

I notice more of the benefits of a nap rather than the negative results which the Mayo Clinic highlights as:

• Sleep Inertia (feeling groggy or disoriented after a nap)
• Nighttime Sleep Problems (long or frequent naps might interfere with nighttime sleep)

Patterns

The week that I recorded this data included the Fourth of July weekend when I did some traveling to Maine to be with my boyfriend’s family as a mini-vacation. So, there may have been some longer naps at some strange times, but consider the fact that I was technically on vacation time for a few days! Check out the collected data here.

All of the naps that I took started after 12 pm, with the latest starting at 4:30 pm. The average time I spent napping was approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, with the longest being 3 hours and the shortest being 1 and a half hours. The weather was good each of the days that I napped, and about 71% of the time I was feeling content while the other 29% I was feeling anxious.

What I Learned

I learned that my naps actually take place around the same time of day (between 12:30 and 4:30) and generally lasted about 2 hours. I had never actually taken the time to look at when I napped and for how long, as well as what factors may be affecting it. It was interesting to learn the patterns that naturally take place throughout my day-to-day life.

By taking the time to break down this data, I learned a bit more about my habits that I did not previously know or understand. I can better plan my days by understanding the patterns of occurrence of my afternoon naps and can plan around them better if need be!