July 10, 2006
Have you slept on the job?
Have you ever slept on the job? It seems as thought it may actually increase your productivity!
"Most people stay awake all day rather than taking a nap - but they're fooling themselves. If they're tired, they make mistakes and are more likely to have accidents. They can't think as clearly," says Noel Kingsley, spokesperson for Siesta Awareness.Sleeping on a benchYou know it makes senseTaking a short nap is the answer, he says. It's a case of "listening to our bodies".
"There is a natural dip in energy, about 12 hours after the deepest sleep; we get drowsy and there's a drop in body temperature. We need a short nap to refresh ourselves."
But why don't we? If you said you were going to pound on a treadmill in the gym for an hour during lunch, everyone would think you were a model worker.
If you said you fancied snoring for an hour, would you get the same approval? Waking up with a keyboard indentation on your face doesn't quite spell management material."
Falling asleep is associated with laziness and boozy lunches - when it has nothing to do with that. It's responding to what's natural. If businesses were more far-sighted they'd see that it helps people to perform."
Be productive and have a Nap!
Sleeping on the job for 20 minutes ups performance. Some companies offer napping rooms to staffSleeping during the workday? You're in good company. Thomas Edison, John F. Kennedy, Sir Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte and Leonardo da Vinci are just a small sample of people who are known to have been daytime nappers.
In fact, your body needs to catch a wink or two during the day to stay alert.
"Napping is a part of your body's natural tendency," says Dr. Martin Moode-Ede, CEO of Circadian Technologies Inc, a firm that consults on fatigue management in Lexington, Mass. "Your body's circadian rhythms determine when you will feel alert and when you feel drowsy. Most people tend to feel a circadian dip in energy between two and four in the afternoon."
This decrease in energy makes people feel drowsy. Dr. Moode-Ede recommends a nap of 10 to 20 minutes to relieve it.
"Nap any longer and your body will enter a deep sleep," Dr. Moode-Ede advises. "If you keep your nap short then you won't have to spend time recuperating from the groggy after-effects of deep sleep.
"The benefits of a nap can outweigh the time spent nodding off for 20 minutes. According to Dr. Moode-Ede, a short nap can prolong your productivity for up to three to four hours.
So, with the benefits of napping during the workday, why aren't more employers encouraging napping?....
Why Power Naps are great.
The Benefit of a Power Nap: Studies show that 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon provides more rest than 20 minutes more sleep in the morning (though the last two hours of morning sleep have special benefits of their own). The body seems to be designed for this, as most people’s bodies naturally become more tired in the afternoon, about 8 hours after we wake up.
Power Napping for Increased Productivity, Stress Management and Health
