The Difference

I have just (at the time of writing this, not at the time of posting this!) woken up from a nap.  A bit of a risk as it's the afternoon and I never want to mess up my night's sleep but that's not why I'm here.

I'm here because yet again, even as I was closing my eye on my couch with my phone alarm set, I wondered why falling asleep for a nap is so different than falling asleep, or trying to, in bed at night.

This time, I tried to think about the physical differences... it's light out.   There is some mild noise in the living room and outside.  The mental differences are that I know it's time limited (even if I'll likely set the alarm to do another round, which I most often do) and I know it's like.. necessary?  

But man oh man I sure wish I could approach evening sleep the way I do naps.  Sure, I'll try that tonight but I'm not expecting success!

Sometimes I wonder how long a day nap would last if I let it.  But that's a risk I only take when I'm unwell and know my body needs extra rest.  I did used to just nap and let it happen but having a shot at a good night's sleep is worth more to me these days than a long day's nap, you know?