To Nap Or Not To Nap...?

Question

I've been working out six days a week (Sundays are off-days) since late September, and I've managed to lose about 40 lbs. (I'm 6'3" and I was 377 when I started; I'm now about 339, with 100 more lbs. to go before I hit my target weight.)

I know that sleep is important to allow your body to rest and repair itself, but I've been reading that you really shouldn't take naps. On one hand, the advice from most health books is to wait until bedtime and try to get a decent eight hours sleep instead of "power napping." Yet on some days, especially when I've had a really rough leg or chest day, I can barely hold my eyes open after I get home from the gym.

Is my body sending me signals of fatigue that I should be listening to? Or should I just tough it out until 9 p.m. and hit the sack then?

I know that 40 lbs. in two months seems like a lot, but I'm one of those guys who can lose an incredible amount of weight in a very short time. (A lot of this had to do with diet and cutting out fats, sugar, white flour and all the "BAD" stuff.) And yes, my doctor knows about what I'm doing. As a matter of fact, at one point, when I was close to weighing 400 lbs., HE was lobbying for gastric bypass surgery!

Answer 1

First of all, though I applaud your intent and efforts, you might want to consider slowing down a bit: 40 pounds in two months is an awful lot for your body to adjust to (that's more than 10% of your original weight in under 60 days; FWIW, I would think 250 lbs is a better target weight for your stated height). Sudden weight loss - - even well-controlled (you ARE doing this under a doctor's or licensed dietician's supervision, right?) - - can be extremely stressful on the body.

Second, you should NEVER do ANYTHING when you're fatigued, unless, of course, you're doing a medical study on sleep deprivation! ;)

Third, sleep is the single most important thing your body needs to do, bar none. Over-analyzing and stressing over it won't help matters. Forget the self-help books, gurus, hearsay, and other nonsense; nobody is the same as anyone else, except by sheer coincidence; you need to do what you feel is best for you.

And, finally, how does the rest of your body feel when you've had a "rough leg or chest day"? ;)

Answer 2

FIrst of all congradulations on the weight loss.

I read in the newspaper Body and Soul section last Sunday that these power naps are a good thing. I say if you're working as hard as you are then your body WILL need a nap and depriving your body of something it needs is probly a bad thing.

Answer 3

If you are really that tired, take a short nap to get your energy back up and when you are a bit more awake, take a short walk, exercise can wake you up after a while

Answer 4

einstein never went to bed. he took 6-7 naps throughout the day and night.

do you think somebody so smart would do something stupid? turn off your computer and take a nap kid.

Answer 5

When you are too tired, you should nap.Or if you don't want to snooze, then don't work too hard.