Remember to Take Naps!

Life is a busy thing. Every day there are countless tasks we have to check off in order to keep our ships afloat. However, working nose to the grindstone every day can be detrimental to our mental, physical, and spiritual health. It is important that we listen to our bodies so we do not stretch ourselves too thin.

Our bodies have a natural rhythm, called our circadian rhythm. It is this biological clock which makes us hungry when we normally eat breakfast and tired when we normally go to bed. It is directly tied to the sun's position and the routines we incorporate in our day to day lives.

Our circadian rhythm is a bodily mechanism that keeps everything running smoothly in our bodies. It helped our distant ancestors survive in a competitive natural environment. It kept us alert at times that was most important to hunt and forage for food, and conserved energy when it was best to rest.

What's interesting is that across cultures around the globe, there is a prevalence for people to take naps around 2-3pm in their timezone. This implies that there is something innate about taking naps at this time. This makes sense, as after waking up, our ancestors must have been hungry and focused on food. After spending much energy gathering the food to survive and eating a good meal, taking a nap must have been an automatic routine.

This is simple wisdom that our ancestors knew, but many of us today have forgot. The body is not invincible, no matter how indomitable our spirit is. We must take care of our temples, and part of that requires us to listen to all the little feelings we have. If we are tired and overwhelmed with work, we will not be productive. Sometimes sacrificing an hour for a quick cat nap will give us the energy to do more than if we just barreled forward with our checklist of tasks.