Hey Siri – Set Timer for 20 minutes. My Nap is Officially Approved

I just finished reading an article in the StarTribune, our local daily newspaper titled,  The Army’s newest weapon – napping.  The StarTribune article was originally published in the New York Times and reviews new updates to military recommendations on fitness and readiness.

I happen to be a fan of napping.  I justify it because I generally only get 5 to 6 hours of sleep in the evening and a nap in the afternoon will allow me to do what I do.

The StarTribune article described how the Army’s physical fitness training field manual, titled the FM 7-22 Holistic Health and Fitness manual now includes a section on the art of napping.    The new manual advises that “Soldiers can use short, infrequent naps to restore wakefulness and promote performance,”  The section describes sleep as essential element of Soldier readiness and it’s impact on brain function, cognition (thought processing), the immune system, and recovery after physical activity.