When is National Napping Day?
National Napping Day is the day after Daylight Saving Time begins.
What is National Napping Day?
It’s not just a day for uninspired college students. They can celebrate too, but this day is for all of us. To get back that hour we lose during Daylight Savings, National Napping Day promotes a healthy siesta.
Wait, when is this? National Napping Day falls on the day after Daylight Saving Time starts up again. Every year, on the second Sunday in March, we “spring forward” by setting our clocks ahead an hour. In doing so, we lose an hour of sleep. The next day is Monday. Our alarm clocks wake us at 7:00 AM, but our bodies think it’s still 6 o’clock.
So we take naps. Sometimes our naps fight back, leaving us groggy instead of refreshed. Nappers can evade that bleary state by taking shorter naps (15-30 minutes). Back in 1995, NASA said 26 minutes was the ideal nap time.
So whether you score a full hour-long nap or settle for a 10-minute snooze, just know you’re not alone. Daylight Savings stole that hour from us all. National Napping Day is here to help you get it back.
Fun facts about National Napping Day!
Bad sleep is bad for your heart. Napping can relax your blood vessels, lower your blood pressure, and reduce your risk of heart disease.
The National Siesta Championship occurs every year in the city of Madrid, complete with a cash prize.
William and Camille Anthony of Boston, MA founded National Napping Day in 1999 to promote naps and their benefit to the human body.
Naps only provide short-term boosts to mental alertness. Nothing beats a full 8 hours of unbroken slumber.
How to celebrate National Napping Day:
Grab forty winks. Take a short nap. Take a long nap. Take a nap on your lunch break at work, or in your dorm room, or in the easy chair at home. Just do yourself a favor and don’t sleep too long.
What’s the hashtag for National Napping Day?
Shake your fist at that lost hour of sleep by using #NationalNappingDay on social media.