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Comment by freehunter | Hacker News Reader

I’ve never been able to nap. I’m one of the people who takes an hour to fall asleep, always have been. Even if I meditate and shut down my active mind, I can lay there for an hour with a completely blank mind, completely at peace, and completely awake. So I tend to just take 5-10 minutes during the day and do a full mediation session. It’s enough to take me out of the day briefly and send all of my stresses somewhere else, which is what the point really is about, right?

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If I "nap", it's either staying awake or going full sleep for hours. I found that just laying down for 15 minutes still provides a good rest. The body still rests a bit and the mind is more fresh.

This is a critical part of taijiquan practice, laying down meditation. It's amazing how many places your body is in pain and tired but you won't hear it till you lay down and relax into the ground.

Same. I live with insomnia, and naps are more myth than reality for me.

I do find myself taking what I call 'zen moments' throughout the day. They aren't ever intentional, but it feels so good when one comes on. And it helps.

But it's not a replacement for a good night's sleep in my case.

I also have a problem with napping, but for a different reason. If I sleep during the day, my heart starts to beat really hard. Like visibly hard, think it's because my HR drops low? Anyways, it's uncomfortable and makes me avoid it. Most people online seem to have the opposite problem, heart racing after a nap. Never found explanation for what happens to me that makes sense.

Nap with headphones on and play low tranquil music. This issue is mental and not physical, since what you describing is you noticing a strong heartbeat, its a good thing, your stroke volume is good.

I am in the same boat. I've always envied people who can "nap". It's frustrating to read articles that suggest you "take a nap for 30 minutes!" when the implication there is that it doesn't take you 30 minutes just to fall asleep.

I've noticed I have a general "sleep momentum" problem. It takes me longer than average to fall asleep, and longer than average to wake up. On both ends of the cycle, I struggle. I wish there was a solution.

I'm not a physician but something that has worked shockingly well for me is 200mg of 5-HTP and 500mg of L-Tryptophan before bed. I used to have terrible insomnia (only sleeping for 2 hours some nights) and every time I take these two together I am out like a light within 30 minutes, and usually don't wake up at all until 4-6AM (I used to wake up fully at the end of every 90 minute sleep cycle and have to go through the whole process of falling asleep again). It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling (capillary dilation in the extremities) that you get just before you fall asleep. I've been taking it every night for five years now and I swear by it. YMMV of course. I've always been skeptical of supplements and I had taken tryptophan before to minor effect, but the two of them together are way beyond anything that could be blamed on placebo.

Careful taking 5HTP if you're already on antidepressants, specifically SSRI's, as you could encounter Serotonin Syndrome.

Thanks, I should have made that clear. There are many supplements sold over the counter that can hospitalize you if you mix them with psychiatric medications. Hopefully people that are on these meds are aware of potential interactions, but the way doctors prescribe them I wouldn't count on it.

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