Why that Eid Day afternoon nap hits different

What is it about an Eid Day nap that makes it so special? It's like that sleep that you get after a hard day's work. Or the sweet slumber that comes when you find the most comfortable spot on your troublesome set of pillows, which usually happens right after you wake up.

Returning home after offering your prayers, embracing numerous people, visiting relatives, eating rich-as-sin food, the sight of your own bed is one to behold. This is especially true if the bed is made. This is further sweetened if you weren't the one who had to make the bed. 

Talking about a nap, nowadays, almost feels like a taboo. Everything now is all about the grind culture. This is patently untrue. 

The grind culture appeals to a unique subset of people, most of whom are only into it for the social media clout. Nine out of ten, those posting about the grind on social media are only meeting people for lunch and dinner to discuss ideas. Ideas don't pay the rent. 

On the other hand, if it's ideas you want, then nap away. The best ideas usually come when one is dreaming. 

Mary Shelly, author of Frankenstein — the genre-shaking horror —- famously said the idea for the book was derived from a dream. 

Midday naps are not a unique idea either. 

The Spanish have a culture of siesta, mid-afternoon naps. According to the National Sleep Foundation, this originated to give farmers some rest during the hot climate. 

In Scandinavian countries, including Norway and Sweden, parents leave their babies outside to nap. It is common to see babies sleeping in strollers outdoors, while parents shop and eat. This is of course not a possibility in Bangladesh, where children get stolen. Nor can it be done in the USA, where it would only lead to abuse allegations. 

In Japan, they have the practice of inenuri, where people are allowed to sleep in public, where you are allowed to not only sleep in transit, but also during meetings. This lets people know how hard the napper must have been working. Cute, right?

Doctor Benjamin Smarr, sleep research expert at the National Institutes of Health, a US State Department agency, says 20-30 minutes of napping makes people more productive and functional.

He is among a number of leading experts, who extol the values of napping. 

Of course, some people don't ever want to wake from a nap. Twenty minutes become two hours. The snooze button becomes obsolete out of overuse. But the habit can be formed. 

That Eid day nap just hits different. If you can time it well, you can be fresh for another round of draining, but often rewarding (Eidi), social engagements.

Dream sweet!