The Pre-Overnight Shift Nap
This Featured Guest Friday, I’m extremely excited to bring yet another female voice to the napping dialogue, this one from our good friend, Bozo’s wife! You may recall that we’ve mentioned B.T. Clown once or twice before, and I hinted recently that we’d hear from another member of the WAGASLF crew.
There are so many things I love about this post. First, B.T.C.W. is a trained medical professional who has worked more than her share of overnight shifts over the years, which I believe makes her perspective particularly on-point and interesting. Second, B.T.C.W., unlike B.T.C., is a fan of napping in general — though as Hen noted not long ago, the TND team (of which she is now a…proud?…member), with the help of the BBC, may have converted him. Third, she casually dips a toe or three in the waters of napping cheat codes, what with her talk of blackout shades, under-door bolsters, and ear plugs. And fourth, she weighs in on the “need” side of the “need vs. want” dichotomy Hen presented to us a few months back.
B.T.C.W., you were born for this, and I know I speak for the entire TND community when I say I’m looking forward to hearing more from you!
Unlike other naps which are typically impromptu, my nap before going into an overnight shift is finely tuned for success. It’s the disco nap of healthcare workers.
6AM
Wake up with the kids. Because momlife. IYKYK.
7:30AM
Exercise. Something with stretching. Yoga or Pilates.
9AM-4PM
More momlife. Hydrate.
4PM
Take care of anything that could be distracting me when I’m trying to fall asleep later.
5PM
Dinner early so I can get to sleep.
6PM
Bedtime routine: darken the room (we have blackout curtains and bolsters underneath the doors); wash face, brush teeth, PJs - make it feel like my real bedtime.
6:15PM
Ear plugs in, lights out. It typically takes me about 15-20 mins to fall asleep.
9:20PM
Woken up by Bozo so I don’t have to worry about hearing my alarm. Getting out of bed at this point is painful but after some coffee I’m ready for the disco.
FAQs
What about having to put the kids to bed?
Either Bozo does it or I take them to bed with me at 6:15. Surprisingly they go to sleep with me. Think of when you lie with your kids at bedtime and accidentally fall asleep. That is some GREAT sleep.
What kind of ear plugs do you wear?
I like Moldex spark plugs. Perfect comfort to noise eliminating ratio for me. The noise reduction rating (NRR) is 33 dB for all you nerds out there.