On napping and sleep paralysis
Having strong ideas about things is important to me. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s indifference. I try to avoid people like that because they usually struggle with something I value a lot: loyalty. I know that not having an opinion or a stance on something is a way of taking action, and I respect that—it’s just not for me.
That said, I try to live with clear positions that align with my values, avoiding being lukewarm. Plus, I believe that having strong ideals gives me a real sense of belonging within different social groups that share my beliefs. However, there’s one thing I still haven’t made up my mind about: naps.
Naps can be a double-edged sword. A coin toss. We’ve all had those glorious naps where we wake up feeling recharged, even motivated to be productive or socialize until sunrise. But we’ve also lived through absolute hell—waking up from a nap feeling like we just got our asses kicked by a dozen people. Thirsty, sweaty, disoriented, with no clue what day it is or even who we are.
Naps are also a (very productive) way to waste time. I’m one of those people who believe that night is for sleeping and daytime is for getting things done. This mindset has led me to avoid naps for most of my life. Even when I went through a phase where I took naps more often and nearly changed my mind, something always happened that reaffirmed my original stance.
Today, after months without napping, I took an amazing nap. I dozed off after catching up on an episode of Severance. Woke up just in time to welcome my friends over for a game of Catan. My energy was through the roof. And honestly, I didn’t even need the nap—I had slept almost nine hours the night before. It was just an incredible experience where I got to disconnect from the world for about an hour and a half.
But… have you ever heard of sleep paralysis?
Every time I’ve been a victim of that nightmare, it’s been during a nap. It’s happened to me about four or five times in my life. It usually starts with a dream that feels too real—something weird or unsettling happens that stresses me out, making me realize I’m dreaming. The second I become aware, panic sets in, and that’s when it happens:
I wake up, but not completely.
It’s like half my brain is still asleep while the other half is awake. One time, I had one eye open and the other shut—I could see what was happening in real life, but at the same time, I was still dreaming. Or thinking about what I had just dreamed. Completely paralyzed, I desperately tried to either fall back asleep or wake up fully—but I couldn’t. I suffered through what was probably just a minute but felt like an eternity… until I finally managed to sleep again. And then I woke up feeling like I hadn’t rested at all. Needless to say, it was a horrible experience.
The other episodes were pretty similar, except the dreams that triggered the paralysis were different—some more tragic, some more confusing, some just plain bizarre. But always lucid. Always feeling real—until I realized they weren’t. That part really creeps me out, because it’s almost like being aware that you’re dreaming is forbidden in the dream world. And if you do realize it, the sleep gods punish you for trying to be clever. Maybe that’s why dreaming remains one of life’s greatest mysteries.
So, this is yet another reason why I’m not totally sold on the idea of naps. But despite everything I just described, I still don’t have a firm stance on them. Maybe because naps are one of those things that, when they go well, they go really well—but when they go wrong, they go extremely wrong.
Besides, sleep is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and when I don’t get enough, I get weird. I still don’t know how I feel about naps. The only thing I do know is that I love my eight hours of sleep. Thanks for reading.