…..Take a nap!  That’s right, researchers in Greece have found that people who find time during the day to take a nap reduced their risk of dying from heart disease. 

And you know what, I think they’re really on to something. 

Yesterday was a VERY busy day in the hospital with many patients waiting days in the emergency department to get transferred to a hospital room.  The hospital was overflowing with patients.  I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to see my sickest patients first while also discharging anybody who was ready to go home.  I knew that it would be an extraordinarily long day of work and I expected to spend most of my 10 hours on my feet running from floor to floor and room to room. 

Then I got the call from my husband.   He needed me to come home and stay with our son because he needed to run to the dentist and get his tooth fixed before he died of pain.  Right before he called I came close to biting someone’s head off for asking me a simple question that under normal circumstances wouldn’t have bothered me.  But with a mountain of work in my near future I took any interruption, whether necessary or unnecessary, as a personal attack on my time.  I’m here trying to take care of patients and keep getting asked silly question after silly question. 

That phone call from my husband was my wake up call.  Letting me know that my busy schedule was wearing on me and that my irritation would grow worse until it got so out of control and I’d snap.  Normally, I’m very aware of my irritation level which is what I call the level right before I say something negative or disparaging.  And only a handful of people who also happen to be members of my family, have ever seen me go beyond that irritation level.  But yesterday was coming close.

Close…..but no cigar.  My husband’s phone call saved me from getting irritated and upset and also saved some poor soul from receiving the brunt of my frustations.  

So on the drive home I called my husband to say that I was on my way and he told me that Rufus was already down for his nap and asked me “why not take a nap, too?”  And you know what?  That was the best advice he could’ve given me. 

After that hour long nap, the worries of seeing all my patients….the stress of running around looking for charts and trying to find the nurse….the irritation of being asked the same question over and over again by different people….none of that bothered me any more.  I didn’t mind spending extra time to explain a complicated diagnosis or answer a family member’s laundry list of questions. 

None of that bothered me….BECAUSE I WASN’T STRESSED!

That’s the key to lowering your risk.  Lowering your stress.  If you’re really able to take a nap in the middle of the day, you have to block out all the things that constantly filter in….whatever’s next on your To-Do List….so that you can relax enough to catch a few Zzzzz’s.

Your nap time is your own personal siesta.  A time to recharge…to redirect your attention and focus….and to get rid of all that negative energy and frustration that raises your blood pressure, skyrockets your heart rate and increases your risk from dying from a fatal heart problem. 

So take it from me…..when you’re close to the “boiling point”, find a quiet place…..relax….close your eyes……and take a little nap.  It will save you hours of wasted frustation and may even save your life.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 15th, 2007 at 12:12 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.