Exhaustion... do you ever just wish you could nap whenever you wanted to?
By vivasuzi
@vivasuzi (4127)
United States
February 20, 2009 11:55am CST
I'm currently feeling so exhausted. It's been a long week, my neck is still hurting somewhat, and everything just seems uncomfy today! Some people would go and get lots of caffiene or an energy shot. I'm having a mountain dew because I do HAVE to stay awake (i'm at work) but I really wish I could just go take a nap!
Caffiene and other things like it may force you to stay awake, but they don't really make you feel refreshed and energized like Sleep does! Sometimes I think that offices and all businesses should have a "nap" area where you could go take a 15 minute cat nap during your lunch or a break time. I've heard that some people will just put their head on their desk during lunch and take a quick rest, but I could never do that, plus it wouldn't be comfy at all.
Instead, I'll drink my mountain dew and try to get some fake energy to make it through the day, then when I get home I will crash on the couch so quickly! I just wish there was some other way to get the refreshing feeling that Sleep brings without having to actually go to sleep.
What do you do to make it through the day when you are mentally and physically feeling exhausted?
6 people like this
18 responses
@kareng (59050)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I will close my door at lunch and put my head on my desk and try to relax and/or sleep for a few minutes. I will do this if I have a very bad headache and also turn the lights off to help with the relief.
I agree that work environments would be enhanced if you had a "ladies" lounge and a "men's" lounge where there were several sofas or nice reclining chairs where you could go and chill! We have a break room down the hall from we that has a small kitchen table with 4 chairs, a sofa and a loveseat. The guy in purchasing claims the sofa just about everyday and lays there either reading a book or sleeping. I don't like going in there with him zonked out. I just feel weird ya know! And I would feel even weirder being the one on the couch with others coming in and out to eat their lunch or watch tv! That's another thing--the tv being on would bother me if I wanted to rest or sleep.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
26 Feb 09
I wish I had a door! People can see me if I even decide to stand up and strech, they could see me if they were walking down the hall... which seems to happen constantly around here.
A lounge would be nice :) I wasn't even thinking that advanced, I just wanted a bed! But a lounge would rock :) Yep - even during lunch break, I would feel weird about napping on the job. It would just feel like you are breaking a rule - even though your lunch break is YOUR time, it still feels weird! Ah well, lately I've been not as exhausted at work so maybe my diet and sleep is finally at a good point to give me enough energy for the whole day.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
27 Feb 09
well I do know some guys who could do this. My dad used to work overnights and it was hard so during his lunch he would take a nap in the back of his truck. i don't even think I could do that. At least he had tinted windows, a blanket and pillow :)
1 person likes this
@jashley1 (746)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Oh how I wish I could nap regularly!!! Unfortunately for me I don't really have that as an option! I stay home with my three kids and my son (just turned 1)doesn't nap consistently and when he does it is only for a short period. Meanwhile he is also teething and doesn't sleep through the night (actually he never has), but has consistently been getting up at about 4:30am in the morning and wanting to stay up (after already waking up at least a couple times throughout the night). My husband works full time and is in school three nights a week, and I"m in school taking two classes, so we are always staying up til about midnight studying since we can't get that done til after the kids are in bed, so I'm thinking I work on about 3 -4 hours of sleep nightly. This is not to complain because I always think "they are only young once" and accept that this lack of sleep is just the phase of life that I am currently in ... however, it does not change the fact that I would love to nap!
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
4 Mar 09
Sounds rough! I don't even have kids yet and a lot of times I just wish I could drop everything for a 20 minute (or maybe an hour) power nap. Now that we plan to have kids within the next year or two, I decided I'm really going hard core on getting the house in shape. I'm doing any project I can, finishing up all my arts and craft projects, fixing up each room of the house the way I like it and throwing out any junk we've been holding on to. I figure if I do this NOW that once I have kids I will not have to be doing all of that at once. Let's hope :-D
They are only young once and once they get a bit older you will probably find they can take care of each other while you go take a nap :) I remember my mom taking naps when we were older. It's something every person deserves!!! If you ever have a chance to catch up on sleep - even for one day - it will really help. Get your husband to take the kids out for the day :)
@underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
23 Feb 09
I do not force myself to work harder when I am tired and exhausted. I learned my lesson when I sat down to work on my computer and I was so sleepy I did not realize that I had deleted all my files. Never work when you're tired, I always say. Cheers!!
@22angel22 (450)
• United States
20 Feb 09
Well, not trying to brag.. but I could honestly take a nap whenever I wanted. I work at home, for my mothers company, and she pretty much allows me to do whatever I want whenever I want. I've never really had a need for a nap, but somedays I just like to sleep an extra 5-20 mins and get into the office afew mins late. Thats about once a week though!
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
27 Feb 09
That's awesome! I often think how great it would be to work at home and be able to take a 20 min nap break or a 20 min walk if I feel the need to STRETCH. The best part of working at home would be that you can stay in your PJS as long as you want :)
@tracie1758 (507)
• United States
20 Feb 09
every day is like that for me. i always say that when my daughter naps in the afternoon then i will too. that never happens. i always find some other thing that needs done. i don't know how i ever had a clean house while i was working. it seems like that's all i do during the day is clean.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
27 Feb 09
I hear that from a lot of stay at home parents. Ideally they would nap when their kid does, but as any parent would they think of things that NEED to be done. I think it's just that you see an opportunity to be productive without worrying about the kid - so you are more likely to choose work and cleaning over napping.
I also think people clean more once they have kids. I'm currently lazy about it! But once I have kids I know I'll have to keep up with it more so they don't get into anything dirty.
@jojoba (40)
• Lithuania
20 Feb 09
Hey! I've also thought about the sofas and "nap" areas in the offices many times! =D That would be really a great idea ;) when you have a nap during the day you are A LOT more productive.. So I think, this is smth, that all CEO should take into consideration ;)
If I feel tired and there is only a bed on my mind I try to have a fifteen-minute break. Just stop working and do smth like talking with colleagues, looking for new clothes on the Net, MyLotting =D Sometimes, if I cannot take a break, I make some strong tea ( I do not drink coffee) This also helps.
Besides, many people nowadays feel exhausted very often, so it would be great to have some kind of magic pill, that would refresh your energy and not harm your health!
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
26 Feb 09
I agree, if you take a break to rest you are more likely to work harder the second half of the day. But even though we all know that, you still FEEL like a slacker if you even think about resting during the day, don't you?
They had magic pills on a recent episode of American dad. At night he'd take the pill and feel wide awake so he didn't need to sleep at all! Can you imagine being awake and energized 24 hours a day? I do enjoy sleep though - so I probably wouldn't want a pill for EVERY day :)
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
21 Feb 09
I'd love to have more self-control over my sleep. It's hard for me to nap, 'cause I get pulled into sleep too easily...or else I have insomnia.
During bad times, or travel, I can nap easily..in fact, that's all I do in those situations.
But ah, what I'd give to be able to do it whenever I wanted to.
I just try to get by. Mostly, I don't let myself stop to rest when I'm burnt out 'cause I know that if I do I'll feel the drain even more...and I need to get what I can done throughout the day, and something...even if it's not of good quality, is better than nothing.
@vicky30 (4766)
• India
21 Feb 09
When i fell exhausted i make it through the day
.Then when i come home.I eat dinner wait some time and then go to sleep.Yes coffee is not good.In fact it makes a person sleep.In one of a call center where i was working.There was a bed.But we can only sleep if we are really tired.I mostly like to sleep in the nights and not in the day time.
.Then when i come home.I eat dinner wait some time and then go to sleep.Yes coffee is not good.In fact it makes a person sleep.In one of a call center where i was working.There was a bed.But we can only sleep if we are really tired.I mostly like to sleep in the nights and not in the day time.
@TessWhite (3146)
• United States
21 Feb 09
I guess the one benefit of being disabled and at home most of the time is I can nap when needed. I remember when I worked and felt that exhausted. Sometimes I would actually nod off in my chair at my desk. Instead of the mountain dew you'd be better off getting some protein and a complex carb to give you energy. The sugar and caffeine rush in the mountain dew will only go so far and give you a big crash later.
@chance2691 (566)
• Philippines
21 Feb 09
In reality, I DO! :)) I sleep three to five hours in a day, so I wake up tired all the time. I sleep on my way to school and on my way back home. If I really can't take it, sometimes I ditch class to catch up on Z's because I've had one occurence where my professor humiliated me in class because I slept on it. In reality, she makes perfect sense because I'm paying her to teach me, and not to make me sleep. So there.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
21 Feb 09
So sorry to hear that. If you talk to a jobless person, he will wish to take over your place and your job. Try to suck lemon instead, the sourness will wake you up. Over here, a lot of workers like to drink red bull. I dont like it, it's full of chemical. 
Ever tried a few times, and half a bottle about to kill me. Too strong for me, prefer to drink coffee. Apparently red bull is very effective in keeping people awake.
@jonthking (51)
• China
21 Feb 09
Try to make a plan for your daily work and force you to finish it as you planned. Keep your work in mind, then you'll not feel drowsy during the work time. do remember to forget your work after the work time, just do what you wanna do.
@breepeace (3014)
• Canada
20 Feb 09
I wish I could nap right now. I didn't sleep worth a darn last night, and woke up early this morning antsy to go sign my papers for my new apartment. Now I discover that I have to wait 2 hours to go sign them, so I'm exhausted and wish I could just lay down for a nap since I know I'll be busy moving stuff all weekend.
@jazemind (52)
• Canada
20 Feb 09
i learned a long time ago that sometimes when exhaustion
overcomes me - the best thing to do is move...i know it sounds
awful when you totally beat. But if i get up and walk around (outside if
possible) and get some fresh air (and hopefully)sunshine. it refreshes
me for awhile.
If that is not possible. Then I do chair meditation. Close eyes , relax,
work on breathing slowly... and think of some special place and i like
to be, or want to go. Sometimes just giving the mind a break will help .
@uicbear (1900)
• United States
20 Feb 09
I used to love taking naps. When I was in college, I would lay down about 3pm and sleep till about 5 and then wake up and feel good. I would go est some dinner and be ready for whatever the night threw at me.
Somewhere in my late 20's this changed. Now, if I lay down and take a nap, when I wake up, I usually feel worse than before I fell asleep. Then to make matters worse, I usually can't fall asleep at night when I need to so I can wake up at the awful time that I have to get up for work.
So for me, I just push through the tiredness until i can crash for the evening. This all goes out the window though when I'm on vacation...hmmm, maybe I need a vacation....
@CRIVAS (1815)
• Canada
20 Feb 09
I have two daughters and they are sick right now so I haven't had a decent sleep in about 5 days. Needless to say I am running on empty, I lost count of how many coffees that I have had and I doubt that I have had my last. I think that most days I just ignore the lack of sleep but other days like today it catches up to me all at once. I am doing about 20 things at once and I haven't sat done once until now and that is only because I wanted to check on mylot. I hope that you feel more rested soon and I hope that you will keep your fingers crossed for me too,LOL.
