“Let’s begin by taking a smallish nap or two…” -Winnie-the-Pooh.
The beginning of Chapter 9: The Binaural Power Nap in the book Own the Day by Aubrey Marcus (cover photo).
As far as I can remember, my mom was a big nap taker. In the afternoon, at the drop of a hat, she could start dozing wherever she was sitting.* It turns out the apple does not fall far from the tree. For the last ten or so years, this is what I have done every day at lunch right after I ate. Sometimes, I skipped eating altogether and went straight for the nap. For optimal success, I would put in some headphones, turn on either movie scores or a meditation, and get down to some z’s.
This week, I read Aubrey Marcus’s take on the power nap. I got excited when I turned the page and saw the chapter title: The Binaural Power Nap. I do not even remember seeing the word Binaural, only Power Nap. Unfortunately, I was reading as I was eating lunch. I was in a dilemma as to what I should do. I slept. Later that evening, when I had some time, I went back to the book, which in this case, was going back to my studies on optimizing my life.
If you are navigating daily decisions, slipping into beta frequency is the most useful. If you need to surf a big wave or write your novel, alpha frequency is helpful. And if you are trying to rest, theta frequency is most powerful…In plain English, targeting theta and delta waves can help you take your naps to the next level.
-excerpt from Own the Day
I have never been a fan of these binaural soundtracks. Every time I have tried to listen to one those “guaranteed deep sleep with X amount of Hz,” my mind started to run, and I found myself more awake than anything. Wanting to keep an open mind, I decided to try it again on my next lunch break.
The next day, I found a meditation from the Insight Timer app. I ate lunch, put in my headphones, and then hit play on Lucid Dreaming Meditation Music: Powerful Theta Binaural Beats. I had my reservations. Would the music keep me awake? Nope. Before I knew it, I was gone. When the alarm went off on my Fitbit (a nice vibrating alarm that can’t be heard), I woke up refreshed. Wow! I took out the headphones, signed into my computer, and charged through the rest of the day full of energy.
Last week, I tried it twice, both with outstanding results. I look forward to seeing how long this will be effective. Will it stop working once I get used to it? Can I make this a permanent part of my daily routine? I look forward to finding out. At least I now know I am not alone in this whole nap taking business.
*As stated, this is as far as I can remember. That has been over 40 years ago, and I might be incorrect in my memories. I figured this disclaimer was a safe route because my Mother does read this blog.
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