Stroke Survivors Alert: The Way to Nap, aka It's Siesta Time!

Cornell University social psychologist James Maas coined the phrase "power nap." Just 15 or 20 minutes each day, sometimes twice a day if your day is long enough, will give you new-found energy. The reason for just 15 or 20 minutes is, any longer and it will make you groggy because your body will ultimately fall into deep sleep, and waking up during a deep sleep stage makes no sense.

The CDC says (if it isn't sleep disturbances such as nightmares from the medication or leg spasms that go on and on and, yes, on), more than one third of us are sleeping less than the recommended 7 to 9 hours each night.

"The power nap is a godsend," Dr. Maas added, sleep expert and past chair of the Psychology Department at Cornell University. "If you want to nap longer, make sure you have a solid 90 minutes. That'll allow you to get through a full sleep cycle, so by the time you wake up, you'll be back in the lighter stages of sleep and able to get up and actually feel refreshed." 

Dr. Rachel Salas, associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins, says, "Humans have a normal, natural dip, in our circadian rhythm, in the afternoon. That’s actually prime time to take a nap." Especially that post-lunch energy crash, she adds. 

 

Many experts say make the surroundings as dark as possible and use earplugs or even download a white noise app from your phone. Salas recommends an eye mask, too, because light can pass through the eyelids and still be disturbing your ability to take a nap.

The "coffee nap" has been talked about, too. The thinking is  if you drink a cup of coffee, set your alarm for 15 or 20 minutes, and take a power nap, the coffee takes about 20 minutes for caffeine to absorb into the body and then you're prepared to awake.

But Maas says, "Anybody with insomnia should never power nap, because it's going to make it worse. If you're having trouble going to sleep at night or have disruptive sleep where you're waking up in the middle of the night, the first thing you have to look at is if you've been napping during day." 

That recommendation also applies to sleep apnea. "Even a short nap can be unrefreshing if the quality of the sleep is disrupted by apnea," says Maas, who suggests seeing your doctor or a sleep specialist to rule out any underlying sleep disorders.

My problem was, I'd gotten into a bad habit. Because my Personal Assistant liked to sleep in, I started awakening at 11am and nodding off at 4am . Now I know better. Even if it's a 2-power nap day, I go to sleep at 11pm and arise at 7am. It was a hard transition getting to be an early riser--it took me about 3 weeks, but it was worth it. Carpe diem!

In the Hapless Wheelchair: Talk To Me When You're Talking To Me!

It was a recent HBO limited series called The Newsroom. Starring Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, a cantankerous insomniac and often narcissistic news anchor, he became involved in a scuffle with the producer (Thomas Sadowski) who calls Will a scumbag (not exactly his words--worse even), but the producer addressed Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston), the news director, instead of Will, and Charlie said, "Talk to him when you're talking to him."


You got all that? It's very important that you do because of the next part of my story. If not, re-read.

So this is what happened yesterday, but it's sort of the same story that happens every time since I had the stroke. Sitting in the wheelchair doesn't help, but for long trips like Walmart or the supermarket, it's a necessity. A man or woman addresses my Personal Assistant, who travels with me because I am disabled and cannot drive. But this crystal clear-thinking woman--me--is ignored. Somehow, I become invisible, a ghost, or I am addressed in the third party.

The woman in Kohl's says, "What is it she's looking for?"

The man in Dollar Tree says, "Does she want red or blue?"

The teenager at the check-out window in Dunkin' Donuts says, "Should I make her tea iced or hot?"

"Hello," I said to myself silently. "I'm right here."

Ultimately, I got tired of the ghost role and this is how I empowered myself to do something. Big time.

I was in the Department of Motor Vehicles to inquire about the status of my identification card, aka my non-driver driver's license, which never arrived in the mail. We went up to the window and, because I was sitting in the wheelchair, my PA, who was eye level with the representative, asked about its whereabouts. The line behind us was extensive.

"I don't know. Let me check. Do you know when she applied?" asked the man.

"Three weeks ago," my PA said.

"Oh. Here it is. There was some quirk in the system and it wasn't sent out. Let me try again. Here's an Oregon certificate of residency [which I didn't have anymore] that should help her out if she's needing it. But she shouldn't. You're her driver, aren't you? And she's not going out of the country," he chuckled.

That was it. The crushing chuckle, bordering on guffaw. With the seemingly endless line in back of us, and with the wheelchair locked, I stood up straight at my full 5', 5", tired of being a ghost any longer. I turned a bit to broadcast the message.

"As a matter of fact, I am going out of the country," I lied and shouted with unabashed glee. "I'm the Goodwill Ambassador for Russian Diplomatic Affairs, appointed by the president himself. I'm leaving Friday," I said, taking the first country that came in my mind a la Trump and the title I made up as I went along, leaving the first 10 people behind me looking with a newfound admiration.

I added, "And by the way, talk to me when you're talking to me."

I sat down in the still-locked wheelchair, looking serious as ever. She unlocked my brakes and we turned and left. I was proud of my exuberant bullshit, even prouder that I advocated for myself. I willing to say that man learned a lesson. But then again, maybe not. Either way, I was overjoyed at my newfound readiness for extemporaneous speech which I didn't have ever after my stroke.