NatNews

Children often protest when they are required to take naps, but there are many adults who wish that there were mandated naptimes in their older years. It’s not uncommon for grown-ups to take naps, though, and according to the National Sleep Foundation, naps are beneficial for both children and adults. In fact, a variety of studies have revealed that naps reduce daytime sleepiness and boost learning and work performance abilities.

Dallas resident Becca Finke is an individual who could successfully compete in professional napping and would like to see others join her in the concept of designated times in the day for naps.

“I take at least one nap a weekend,” she said. “I would take an afternoon nap daily if work didn’t get in the way. I think the U.S. should implement a siesta time daily as other countries do.”

Dallas resident Shama Sattar said she used to take four or five naps each week, but now that she's back to working in an office, her nap frequency is down to two or three times per week.

"I wake up and run at 5 a.m., so sometimes I take a 20-minute nap between my shower and getting ready for work," she said.

Dallas resident Bob Heine said he enjoys naps, but they occur a bit more randomly for him and vary in length—ranging anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour—based on his schedule and how tired he is.

“I think naps are beneficial for anyone who needs rest during the day,” he said. “As adults, we’re often very busy, and our bodies need us to take a break.”

Former Dallas resident Jerod Honrath, who now lives in the Austin area with his wife (Analisa) and daughter (Harper), said he doesn’t take naps and never has. In fact, he said the idea of spending an afternoon napping has never really crossed his mind.

“Even if I had the time, I still wouldn’t feel the need to take a nap,” he said. “There are plenty of other things to do with my free time—take care of Harper, house chores, watch TV, or run again.”

But that doesn’t mean that Honrath doesn’t believe that naps should be avoided by other individuals.

“I do think naps are very beneficial, as they no doubt will increase alertness, improve memory, aid with fatigue, and ease stress,” he said. “All this being said, I grew up not taking any naps, as I was a very active child and continued that into my adulthood.”

Similar to Honrath, Dallas-area resident Laura Mattingly is not usually a napper, and if she does happen to let one slip into her schedule, it’s not on purpose.

“If I have some time during the day when nothing is needed from me, I prefer to relax by doing something else, like watching a show or reading a book,” she said. “I will sometimes accidentally fall asleep doing one of those things, but my goal wasn’t to nap.”

Mattingly, a mother of two young boys, said she thinks she would have the desire to take a nap if she felt like she had more free time in which she could both relax in other ways and nap.

“Most of us don’t get enough sleep at night at our life stage, and catching up during the day couldn’t hurt,” she said.

Finke also recognizes the importance of sleep and how it could create more productivity and enhanced abilities in people’s lives.

“The majority of adults, unlike children, are required to be cognitively alert throughout most of their days, whether they have careers, stay home to look after their families, or a combination of the two,” she said. “A nap during the day could allow adults to maintain or increase cognitive performance.”

Finke isn’t one to take one of those 20-minute or 30-minute power naps, though. She needs more time to let her body drift into dreamland.

“One hour is the perfect nap time,” she said. “It allows you to fall into that deeper sleep so that you get a true rest and feel rejuvenated after. Any longer, and I typically feel groggy; any shorter, and it’s a waste of time.”

Fish don’t actually chew their food—they would suffocate if they did so. To obtain oxygen, water must pass over the gills, and chewing would interfere with that.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has for a long time been a popular place for well-known musical artists to include as part of their tour stops. More recently, many bands and solo musicians who were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s have been making their way back into local residents’ hearts and ears with reunion and old-school classics tours that heavily focus on their hits from the past.

Dallas resident Jess Ahlborn, who appreciates live music and a variety of musical genres, said this summer has been quieter than most concert-wise, but she was still able to attend quite a few shows that allowed her to take some trips down Memory Lane.

“This was the summer of classic rock, country legends, and pop punk nostalgia,” she said. “A few personal highlights for me were Joan Jett, Shania Twain, Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, and Mayday Parade.”

And there was one show in particular that truly stood out to Ahlborn because of the way it created a connection between her and most of the rest of the crowd.

“The Yellowcard/Story of the Year concert was particularly awesome because it was the first concert I had been to in a long time where I was finally surrounded by other late 30-somethings,” she said. “That’s the beauty of all of the 20-year anniversary shows occurring lately, especially in the punk rock scene. It’s really fun to see how us emo kids have matured, yet our love for the artists and songs that shaped us hasn’t changed a bit. It’s still not ‘just a phase.’”

Dallas-area resident Josh Odegard, who said music is one of his favorite aspects of life, also attends concerts on a regular basis. Most recently, he saw The Smashing Pumpkins, Emerald City Band, and Snoop Dogg, and this weekend, he is attending Latino Mix Live, one of his favorite shows that he attends every year it’s in Dallas. He said the artists revisiting their former chart-toppers is for the benefits of fans who have been there since the beginning.

“For the bands who were huge decades ago but aren’t as big now, I think they stick to their hits because they know that’s what people are really coming to see,” he said. “They may still mix some of their newer stuff in between older hits, but they want the crowd to sing with them, and if the crowd doesn’t know the words, the in-person performance is as great for anyone.”

Odegard said he loves live music even more when he is able to experience it with his friends, and he consistently recruits as many people as possible to join him at various concerts. Dallas-area resident Liz Orozco attended The Smashing Pumpkins and Snoop Dogg with Odegard and will also join him for Latino Mix Live.

“I enjoy listening to music and appreciate the affordability of lawn seats, where you aren’t constricted to a seat and have space to move around,” she said. “I remember buying the Smashing Pumpkins CD back when I was in high school. I had a great night.”

For Odegard, The Smashing Pumpkins’ performance at Dos Equis Pavilion became an evening that created reflection and appreciation for certain moments from his past.

“It’s the first big concert I’ve been to since I saw Incubus last year,” he said. “I haven’t listened to either of them regularly for 10+ years, and I don’t even know if they’ve made any new music during that time, but going to see someone that you grew up listening to is one of the most nostalgic things you can do. Sometimes hearing a song that I heard hundreds of times during a certain time of my life brings back so many memories from those days.”

And as Ahlborn pointed out, sometimes individuals need those fond memories that music provides to make them forget about the worries and fears that might be causing them stress at a particular period in their lives.

“With the pandemic, we went through a few years with very little live music,” she said. “For people wired like me, that takes a toll. Today, I think artists are revisiting what they know resonates with fans because it feels safe and reliable—it’s comfort food for your ears.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Elizabeth and Fitzgerald Cruz celebrated Elizabeth’s birthday last weekend with cake and fun

Monday, August 21: Beck & Phoenix: Summer Odyssey at Dos Equis Pavilion
Tuesday, August 22: Rooftop Movie Night: Dazed and Confused at Sundown at Granada
Wednesday, August 23: HIIT on the Plaza at the Texas Lottery Plaza at Toyota Music Factory
Thursday, August 24: National Waffle Day
Friday, August 25: Dallas Zoo After Dark (21+ event)
Saturday, August 26: WRRC Saturday run at Taco Joint; Happiest Hoedown Brunch at Happiest Hour