Work-place napping may be the answer to productivity and quality of work issues for employees who are sleep-deprived.
Is there a line-up at your office coffee maker mid-afternoon every day? Do you drink that caffeine to keep your head from slamming down on your desk when you fall asleep after lunch? Maybe taking a nap would do everyone goodāyou and your employerāwith improved work quality and productivity.
Lost productivity
According to the US National Sleep Foundation sleepy employees cost billions of dollars in lost productivity and sick days, which leads many progressive employers (Google and Nike for example) to provide their employees with time and nap-conducive spaces to recharge.
Many sleep experts see the office nap as a natural evolution in a sleep-deprived world. The new reality for many hard-working individuals means they are doing twice the work in half the time, and then going home to at least four hours more of work between making dinner, taking care of kids, and doing housework.
Itās only natural
These experts point out itās natural to feel the need to sleep in the afternoon. Our bodiesā circadian rhythmāour internal biological clockāhas two low periods in each 24-hour cycle. The first low occurs between 1Ā andĀ 4Ā am and the second occurs 12 hours later between 1Ā andĀ 4Ā pm.
Weāre also sleep deprived
Not only do we work hard during the day, but sleep problemsāincluding insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and sleep deprivation in generalāalso affect a majority of Canadians, according to a 2011 report from the World Association of Sleep Medicine.
Their report said 60 percent of Canadian adults feel tired most of the time and get, on average, 6.9 hours of sleep a night, although experts recommend eight hours. Canadian research indicates 30 percent of adults get fewer than six hours a night.
With all these sleep-deprived people in our midst, slipping off to a quiet corner to catch a few zzzzzās sounds like a win-win for everyoneāincluding your boss!
Tips for a good office nap
- Most important: make sure itās okay with your boss!
- Find a quiet place to napāsomewhere away from traffic and phones.
- Have some caffeine just before napping; consuming about 200 mg of caffeine just before a 20-minute nap can improve performance and reduce sleepiness once you wake up.
- Set an alarm (on your mobile phone) to go off in 15 minutes; napping longer will be counter-productive.
- Get up as soon as your alarm goes off and move around.
- Wash your face and find some bright light; this will help you feel more awake.