The how's and why's of napping

I'm a night owl. In fact, many nights my night-owlish tendencies merge right into insomnia. My son, on the other hand, is an early bird. We have a rule in our house that says he can't leave his room until 6 a.m. Otherwise, he'd have me up at 5:15 or so every morning. When you pair my late nights with my (unwilling) early mornings, you end up with one tired gal. I try to avoid napping as I worry that it will mess with my ability to sleep at night. According to this article, taking a brief snooze in the afternoon is a healthy thing to do.

I first read about this over on our sister site, DIYLife, and I was happy to see the health perks a short nap can have. Naps can boost alertness, creativity, and mood while reducing stress. Read the article for tips on when and how to nap... it just might do your body good!