wr “* minutes, Mari’ attest to the benefits of power napping. This B6 Terrace Review — Wednesday, June 6, 1990 - ‘Wednesday with Fae : Power Naps by Fae Mooney Time to dust off the lawn furniture, string up and nap- test the old ham- mock. Ahhhb... Great, isn’t it? The sounds and scents of spring, the warm @& sun, a refreshing § drink, a snooze... Feeling guilty? Don’t. Sleep researchers say napping is OK. In fact, neurologist and sleep researcher Roger Broughton at the University of Ottawa claims that this urge for a midafternoon nap is a normal part of our natural sleep cycle. You can try this one on your boss; a short nap, growing evidence suggests, may be more beneficial than the traditional 15-minute coffee break in overcoming the midafternoon perform- ance slump most people experience. A short ‘“‘power nap” — the term coined by long-haul truck drivers — may well be the best way to improve alertness, productivity and overall physical per- _ formance, according to Broughton. And from the New York Times: ‘‘An afternoon nap can significantly increase mental alert- ness and improve mood.”’ Research indicates that we are ‘‘biologically wired’’ for both a major sleep period at night and one nap at midafternoon., “Shift workers and people whose jobs require a high level of vigilance should be allowed to take scheduled naps,’’ Broughton advises. On the run between Prince Rupert and Prince George, long-haul truck drivers are encouraged to stop occasionally to ‘‘kick the tires’? (get out and walk a bit) and if feeling drowsy, rest their heads on the steering wheel and take @ power nap — ~ usually 15, re to 20 minutes is enough. Napping is common among shift workers (including the long- haul trucker), as well as with the very young and the very old. But, in many industrialized nations, caffeine has become a replacement for that needed power nap. Drinking a cup of coffee or a can of coke is a common method for combating afternoon drowsiness. A study measuring alertness throughout the day revealed a 2 p.m. dip (an increase in sleepiness) in normal adults. Interestingly, studies have revealed that most mid-daytime naps occur between 2:30 and 5 p.m. This is roughly the midway point between the normal bedtime and waketime, suggesting that after- noon sleepiness may reflect a natural, biological rhythm. _ This is reflected in recent sleep experiments: removed from a daytime-nighttime light cycle and without clocks to indicate time, volunteers slept longer during their night period and took naps about 12 hours after the midway point of the longer sleep — at their midafternoon, Subsequent research indicates that napping improves mental performance and, as we nappers already knew, makes you feel better. Although the studies that have measured alertness throughout the day have shown the 2 p.m. dip, other studies suggest a simple relationship between daytime alertness and the amount of night- time sleep. Simply, the more sleep at night, the greater the day- time alertness; the less sleep at night, the less daytime alertness — and the greater the need for a midafternoon nap. ’ However, it has been shown that those who do nap take them in addition to the normal seven to eight hours of nighttime sleep. _ Can we get too much of a good thing? How much sleep do we - need? The simple answer is — you need enough to be alert the . next day. Too much, the experts say, is as bad as too little. Most of us require between seven or eight hours nightly. But these re- quirements vary, not only from person to person, but also change with age, health, and other circumstances such as stress. - Types of naps The Replacement Nap lasts a little more than an hour. This type of nap is, generally taken to make up for lost sleep, or.in an- ticipation of a loss of sleep. The Siesta is indulged in on lazy weekends, vacations, or where ' it has become a part of the cultural environment (as in Mexico, for example), A siesta lasts from one to two hours. The Recuperative Nap is taken during illness or convalescence, It is an interesting fact that when the immune system breaks . ~~ down and we become ill, we feel drowsy or have an undeniable desire to sleep. This need for sleep when we are ill has researchers _ investigating the link between sleep and the immune system's “ability to do its job, which is to protect the body against invaders such as bacteria and viruses. ° The Power Nap. is: brief, lasting no more than 10 or 20 Contributed by Peter Crompton June. 12 will be our final general meeting before the sum- mer break — all members are urged to attend. The Dominion meeting in Vancouver begins on June 11, Cmdes. Cromarty, Hudson and Thomsen will be in attendance on behalf of our members. We have decided to continue our steak nights on the first Fri- day of each month even through the summer, hoping that those of you who are in town will at- tend. By the time this reaches the press, we will have had yet another ‘‘D”’ Day Dinner. It ap- pears we will have had a good turn out, and hopefully the weather is not as hot as last year. We ali wish Cmde. Bill Robin- son every success as he heads for Toronto to compete in the Cana- dian Darts Championships. We still need help for River- boat Days. I am sure our chair- man Arlene Bergh would welcome any help, and we do need someone to head up a group to construct our float. Have an enjoyable summer — the September see you at meeting. SOR” Cancer group to meet next in fall — The Terrace unit of the Cana- dian Cancer Society held an in- formal get-together May 14 at the Terrace Public Library. Or- ganized by Lily Nielsen and Nor- ma Morrison, the purpose of the meeting was to form a Cancer Support Group. Fighting cancer can be an emotionally painful and frightening experience. The sup- port of family and friends isn’t always enough. Sometimes you need to talk to someone who has been through the same battle, someone who knows what you’re up against. A Cancer Support Group can help. Sharing personal experiences mete eed quick pick-me-up is restorative and refreshing, improving alert- ness, vigor, ability to do mental tasks, and overall physical per- formance. All good reasons for stringing a hammock in the staff room, Do the experts follow their own advice? Says Dr. Broughton, ‘I’m certainly not a never-napper.” Do you suppose he has 4 hammock in his office? oiten. Z| == Kodak Great pictures 3 aren't the only things you'll get at Northern Drugs. Now, until August 25, you'll also get a chance to win an exotic ocean cruise for 2 to Mexico! Our special holiday prize ‘|| includes airfare* to/from Los ‘|| Angeles, ground transportation in Los Angeles, and a luxurious 4 day/3 night cruise to Mexico. Entry forms are available ‘|, at all Northern Drugs stores. Enter soon. And enter Rehan Stores throughout northwestern British Columbia NORTHERN DRUGS/KODAK CRUISE FOR 2 TO MEXICO DRAW MEXICO * Flight will ariginate trom Prince Rupert Airport, Terraca-Kitimat Airport, or Smithers Airport, Entries wilt be received up to August 25, 1990. No purchase necessary. Emptoyees of Northem Drugs and {helr immediate families are nol eligible to enter. ‘and offering possible solutions to problems as they arise not on- . ly helps reduce stress but also puts the disease into some per- spective. It also reminds you that you are not alone, and that with fight and determination, cancer can be beaten. Because of the summer holidays, it was decided to.delay the next meeting until Septem- ber. Details such as how often to meet will be worked out then. If you’d like more information about the Group or have a prob- lem you’d like to discuss, you can contact Lily Nielsen at 635-2995. The toll-free number for the Canadian Cancer Society - is 1-800-663-4242. Can you help someone who is presently undergoing treatment for leukemia? This person would like to talk to someone with an experience of the disease. Contact. Lily Nielsen if you think you can be of help.