# Mysterious events while taking a nap **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2001, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-events-while-taking-a-nap/71341 "2001-07-05T13:26:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-events-while-taking-a-nap/71341/1 "2001-07-05T13:26:55Z")
Why are out physiological responses different when napping, as opposed to sleeping at night? In particular, I often awake from a nap to find a dribble of drool on my pillow, a phenomena I have never noted upon waking in the morning. Similarly, I often awake from a nap hot and/or sweating, something which I don’t experience when waking in the morning (at least not when sleeping at normal room temperatures. Talking to friends, my experiences are not uncommon. Is there a reason? Sua ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-events-while-taking-a-nap/71341/2 "2001-07-05T14:38:59Z")
Sweatihng: The sweating thing is usually explained by the fact that most naps are not in our bed, not in our bad attire, and are not during the evening. These three things contribute to sweating during a nap. Drooling is usually a product of falling asleep in a less-than-ideal position - One that contributes to our mouth falling open (sitting on a chair, sofa) where our head can roll back and extend the mouth open. When drooling in bed during a nap, I believe it is probably something that happens during the early stages of sleep, and is more noticable after a brief nap, wherein there eas not enough time to dry the drool. Just my onservations. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-events-while-taking-a-nap/71341/3 "2001-07-05T18:37:01Z")
Sweating _can_ occur when you climb in bed in your bad attire. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-events-while-taking-a-nap/71341/4 "2001-07-05T21:54:50Z")
I have noticed that **very** occasionally, I am woken suddenly during the night to find that I’ve been sweating heavily. My mother (a nurse) insists that everybody sweats every night, but that it happens while you are sleeping most deeply, and thus much less likely to wake up at the time. I don’t have any evidence to contradict her, and some anecdotal evidence that suggests that she might be right. However, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-events-while-taking-a-nap/71341/5 "2001-07-05T22:07:28Z")
Doesn’t one’s body temperature vary during the course of a 24-hour (circadian) period, with a dip occurring during the middle of the night? When I was doing all-nighters in college, I remember getting extremely cold around 2-3 a.m. I always thought that this was the reason why you rarely wake up in the middle of the night sweating, but frequently do so during an afternoon nap.