there is nothing like a good nap

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A GOOD NAP
since i started aricept (donepezil) ten years ago i have taken a daily afternoon nap

the aricept (donepezil) does two things
it causes vivid dreams that interfere with my sleep and according to my wife she it interferes with her sleep since i sometimes am restless during the good parts of my dreams

it also seems to allow me to only sleep about 5 hours a night sometimes on a good night 6 hours

so after my noontime meal i usually will take a 1-2 hour nap
if i nap  about an hour i seem to be more alert and ready for the rest of the day 
however
if i over nap and if i dream when i nap when i wake up im really sluggish and dont want to do anything the rest of the day 
you know like when you wake up in the morning

i recently found this short video that explains what happens in your brain and your sleep when you take a nap

there is a sweet spot that you can reach where it is beneficial for some of you to nap each day

over my career i worked with two physicians who took a daily nap after lunch
both napped around 30 minutes
one had an easy chair in his office
the other would go home for lunch then lay down for a nap at home then return for his afternoon patients

now after retiring i realize how refreshing a good nap can be

without my nap i wouldnt have as productive a day as i do

ive tried off aricept and on aricept

off aricept my sleep patterns get better and my dreams tone themselves down
i also notice if i stay off it too long it does seem to affect my memory some

on aricept though my alzheimers disease symptoms are slowed down some
a risk im not willing to take to be off the aricept
being on aricept may be one of the reasons im am doing as well as i am

the other thing is that the disease alzheimers as it progresses will start to interfere with ones sleep also

is it the meds or is it the disease that affects my sleep
for now
for me
its the meds ie aricept

when i was having my stomach issues last year when i was sick i took one medication that seemed to improve my sleep and tone down my dreams a lot
i couldnt tolerate the other side effects though of the medication

so
ill stay on aricept
strive for that sweet spot of a  nap 
for me its around 1-1 1/2 hours

i do feel better and  more rested since i am able to nap
im not sure i would do as well without them
so
ill continue as i am

so watch this short video
maybe you will want to nap each day also



so will a nap help
50% of you will be helped
50% of you will not be helped 

there is only one way to find out

for me
it definitely helps
i think like in the video an hour is my sweet spot

the organicgreen doctor