When you are home in the middle of the day, do you usually take a nap?

Sometimes, or sometimes toward the early evening I will. Usually lying on the bed with the TV on, and the blankets on, nice and warm. Not every day, though, maybe 20% of the time, like once or twice a week.

No. If I nap during the day, it messes up how well I sleep at night. I’d rather go to bed earlier.

The only time I will nap during the day is if I am sick (flu, etc.)

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I don’t sleep well at night, so it isn’t unusual for me to catch a 20 minute nap.

And, before you say it, if I don’t nap I do not sleep better at night.

Yes, but I am usually still asleep.

I seldom nap. Maybe once or twice a year. When I do, it feels lovely, but most of the time nothing takes me there.

ohmigod yes! Almost every day two naps, an hour each, and very occasionally, three naps. It concerns me, too. Why am I so tired that I can sleep that much plus sleep decently at night for 8–9 hours. I’ve read that it predicts Alzheimers, but I’m wondering if that means that being that tired predicts it, or the actual sleeping does. I’ve done this for quite a few years, daily. As I’m typing this I’m fighting taking one because it’s 6:15pm and it’s too late, but I’m sleepy and my eyes are heavy. I know I should set an alarm and only lay down for 20 minutes or so, but just hitting the bed and letting go is so alluring. Sometime I actually sleep soundly, other times I just hover on the edge.

I love a good nap but not every day I’m home. I work from home three days a week.

I’ve been very burnt out lately though and took a 2-hour nap yesterday.

I nap about three times a week. When my husband and I were first married he said he couldn’t nap, but I converted him. Now, if he is home during the day he often takes a nap during the day. I find that most people who say they can’t don’t even try.

@smudges Have you had your thyroid checked? Needing to sleep 10+ hours a day is a classic sign of hypothyroidism. Other things cause needing to sleep a lot, but I would rule it out. Is your skin, hair, and eyes very dry? Heart rate slow?

Sometimes I think I might be mildly narcoleptic if there is such a thing as mild narcolepsy. I can fall asleep pretty easily, and if I’m sleepy it’s really hard for me to fight keeping my eyes open. As long as I’m well rested I’m ok though.

I’m a big napper since childhood. Since I’m a morning person, I can wear myself out doing yard or housework on weekends, take a little nap (two hours) and finish the day strong. It never affects my night sleep either.

My husband is not a napper, but as he gets older he occasionally will drop off after hard labor or garden work.

Sometimes.

I do have hypothyroidism, but the numbers have been good since I began meds. I’ve checked with a number of my docs and they investigated their speciality areas, but no one can really tell me why I want to sleep so much. But I’m beginning water exercises for back/core strength – it’s likely that losing some weight will help and give me more energy. fingers crossed

A couple of years ago I felt like I wasn’t understanding things clearly – mostly new concepts and learning things. I was having a hell of a time figuring out new beading patterns, but I didn’t really notice – this was in hindsight. My cardio doc found a leak in my aortic valve, so I had a replacement mooo . Afterwards I felt smart as hell and figured out that my brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen. I don’t know if the leak truly caused my thinking problems, but I, and other people, noticed the difference.

@smudges Look at your test results. See if your TSH is above 3.0 or if you T4 and T3 are very low normal. Don’t just trust your doctors to interpret them, especially if you are treated by a GP or internist.

Obviously, cardiac problems can make you tired too. Also hypothyroidism if not treated back to YOUR needed normal range can cause slow heart rate and feeling like you don’t have enough oxygen.

I can look at my test results through a website.

Don’t just trust your doctors to interpret them,

Right. No, I don’t. Worked in a med lab for a number of years. Example – it’s not a blood test, but my BP became high due to retaining lymph (fluid, but not water weight). As it came down some, I insisted that it still wasn’t normal for me, and they’ve increased my med dosage.

My heart rate runs between 70–110 (resting and with exertion), but I’m always short of breath with exertion. I think it’s partly because I’m out of shape and overweight, and partly because I have mild emphysema. In the past I’ve noticed that it can get better with a regular exercise program, hence the water exercise. I’m hoping that breathing better and having more energy will help with sleepiness.

Thanks for your input. You remind me of myself when it comes to medical stuff – you know yourself and read a lot and aren’t afraid to politely challenge the docs.

@smudges Your heart rate would contradict my low thyroid theory, but you have several things going on at once so impossible to guess. I would still look at the thyroid numbers, but since your heart rate is so high, probably your TSH isn’t higher than 3.

Sounds more like a heart or lung thing or both. Do you use oxygen at all?

No, no oxygen. I have an appt with my cardiologist in September and he usually orders an ultrasound.