Quick nap great energizer after lunch

Mon., Sept. 10, 2007

Jan Polek The Spokesman-Review

I am fascinated by the ongoing research on nap time, perhaps because I am always looking for a reason to take one. The latest study by Dr. David F. Dinges, a professor and sleep scientist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, talks about the “post-lunch dip,” those few hours when our body’s cycle is naturally in a resting phase. This happens to correspond with another cycle, known as the homeostatic, which is the measure of time the body has usually been awake and is pushing for a rest.

For those of us whose days are relatively free from responsibility, a nap after lunch is easy to arrange. It’s harder for those with full time jobs and potentially dangerous for people behind the wheel. Sleep-deprived drivers cause thousands of car crashes each year. A good friend of mine, Gordon Smith, spent many years driving in his work with Burlington Northern and since retirement, he’s been driving his beautiful motor home from Spokane to Alaska with regularity. He plans his driving day to include finding a safe spot off the road and pulling over for a short nap after lunch. He is always mindful of the wrecked big rigs he passes whose drivers dozed off for “just a minute.”

A nap needn’t be long to be beneficial, and it appears that the older you are, the less time you need to feel refreshed. Sweet dreams!

One hundred years of service

The General Federation of Women’s Club members of Spokane was established in 1905. Its clubhouse at Ninth and Walnut is listed on national and Spokane historical registers. The Woman’s Club has provided scholarships, sponsored historical and cultural contests and promoted leadership opportunities for women.

To celebrate its centennial, the Woman’s Club of Spokane is hosting an Open House, Sunday, September 16th, 1-3 p.m. Everyone is welcome to tour this historic facility. For information, please call (509) 838-5667.

Farewell

I shall miss Karen Marchioro, who died at her home in Bellevue on Aug. 30 after a lengthy battle against cancer. She was Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party for twelve years and served in leadership roles on the Democratic National Committee. She taught me much about the courage needed to be in politics by exemplifying the Zen adage:

“Such is life,

Seven times down,

Eight times up!”

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