Cancer Survivor Says, 'I Just Want a Nap'

Two-time cancer survivor shares the happiness of naptime and her alternatives too. Your body has been through lots and deserves a nap.

BY Barbara Tako

PUBLISHED February 15, 2018

Barbara Tako is a breast cancer survivor (2010), melanoma survivor (2014) and author of Cancer Survivorship Coping Tools–We'll Get You Through This. She is a cancer coping advocate, speaker and published writer for television, radio and other venues across the country. She lives, survives, and thrives in Minnesota with her husband, children and dog. See more at www.cancersurvivorshipcopingtools.com, or www.clutterclearingchoices.com.

Would you like a nap, too? Cancer and its treatments take a lot out of a person. Are you feeling sleepy? Sleepy is not productive. If someone is sitting there being sluggish, who benefits? Sleepy is not creative. How can we come up with an innovative solution if we are tired? Sleepy is not accurate. If someone is in a foggy state, mistakes are more likely to happen. Sleepy is not efficient. How can someone figure out the best way to get something done when they are tired? Lastly, sleepy is not speedy. We tend to slow down when we are tired. It is the way we are designed.

We have learned much about the human body physiology and its cycles and rhythms. When we acknowledge the human construct and include that in the design of our buildings and workstations, and even eating habits, everyone benefits. Many years ago, an understanding employer allowed me, with my doctor’s note, to go take a nap in the on-site nurse’s office when I was in the final stages of pregnancy. It helped. Don’t cancer survivors deserve the same treatment?

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