There is nothing more indulgent than a good afternoon nap. Though I seldom get to indulge these days, I love to nap and I was the Queen of Naps during all three of my pregnancies.

But according to studies, napping is more than an indulgence. It can  bolster health and creativity. In fact, history has produced a legion of great nappers. Among them are Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Lord Byron, who after sweet slumbers achieved great feats of art, science and literature.

Is this a coincidence – this combination of greatness and napping? On this Napping Day, the folks at at Protect-A-Bed think not. Napping Day is TODAY (March 15), the first Monday after daylight saving time begins. It’s the day when the majority of us, a bit weary from losing an hour of sleep, desperately long for a short siesta. And, those at Protect-A-Bed believe you should cave to that longing.

Studies abound that tout the benefits of napping, from enhancing memory and learning, to improving work performance, and increasing mental acuity and overall health.

During my first pregnancy, I was working for a not-for-profit organization in St. Louis and my position was essentially unnecessary. I know – strange for a not-for-profit. Anyway, I was constantly overwhelmed with the need to nap, and I had no work to motivate me to do otherwise, so I utilized an unused restroom on the upper floor as my place of slumber. I would literally sleep on this tiled floor for up to an hour at a time during the workday, and no one would miss me.

The only downside — I would often emerge from the restroom with the marks of the tile floor on my face. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked.  Even though the conditions probably weren’t the most sanitary, the tile floor didn’t harbor some of the dust an allergens a regular pillow or mattress might contain. Those who nap the best understand a sleeping place needs protection from allergens and dust mites. After all, waking from a nap with the sniffles is no way to wake up at all.

Research shows 10 percent of the general public and as many as 90 percent of people with allergic asthma (depending on the study you read) have an allergy to dust mites. And, dust mites love spoiling our napping refuge, taking up residence in mattresses and pillows. In fact, as many as two million dust mites can thrive in an unprotected mattress.

Besides dust mites, it’s not unusual for other allergy triggers like pollen and pet dander to become trapped within mattresses. By using a mattress protector, allergy sufferers can create an impermeable barrier between themselves and the allergens within their bed. By coupling mattress protection with pillow protectors that seal allergens within pillows, people can create a virtually allergy-free nap space.

Protect-a-Bed Bed offers consumers a complete line of protective bedding products to create a Healthy Sleep Zone. The unique technology featured in Protect-A-Bed’s mattress and pillow protectors was developed in South Africa in 1980 before the company was officially established in the United States in 2000.

To celebrate National Napping Day, Protect-a-Bed is offering one lucky Lipstick to Crayons Reader a queen size Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Cover (retail value $79.99). And they’re hosting a Twitter contest where they will be giving away sets of Premium Pillow Protectors to those who share the funniest place they’ve ever taken a nap. To enter, follow @protect_a_bed on Twitter and use the hashtag #nappingday to share your funniest or strangest nap location (like a restroom floor). To enter my contest for the queen size mattress cover, see the guidelines below:

Giveaway Guidelines

To win, leave a comment below telling me when you are most likely to give into a nap.

Receive additional entries by doing any/all of the following, but be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Blog about this contest
2. Subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter (you can tweet daily, but be sure to leave a comment each time you do).
4. Favorite Lipstick to Crayons on Technorati
5. Stumble this post
6. Add Lipstick to Crayons to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar
7. Become a fan of Lipstick to Crayons on Facebook.

This giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. Central time March 23 2010.  Be sure to include a valid email address with each of your entries. Winner will be randomly chosen via random.org and will be notified via email and announced on this post.

If winner does not claim prize by March 25, 2010, he/she will forfeit the prize to alternate winner who will be drawn at random. USA and Canada residents only please.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO PATTI, COMMENT #22.

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