Sleeping on the Job? It Might Improve Your Work.

Posted by Kristina Cowan

Napping at work might make you a better employee. That's because our bodies, according to a Boston.com graphic touted by Lifehacker, need afternoon shut-eye to perform at their best--which points to a nap in the middle of the workday. But how can you grab some winks without looking like a slacker?

Research abounds on why sleep benefits the body and mind. A one-hour nap makes you more alert for up to 10 hours. A Harvard study shows learning and memory improve with a 45-minute nap. And a 2008 University of Düsseldorf study says even if you get just a few minutes of sleep, your memory benefits. History certainly lends credibility to the sleep factor, too. Fatigue caused by lack of sleep played a part in the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Yet Americans are sleeping less and working more. This leads to lost productivity, to the tune of $100 billion in health-care costs, absences and other factors. Seeing this, some employers are providing nap rooms and other technology-free zones to help workers catch some z's. Other companies are offering environments that emphasize wellness and relaxation. Meanwhile, workers have their own creative ways for getting power naps, as the Lifehacker post shows. One commenter mentions 20-30-minute lunchtime naps in a car.

Readers, should workers find ways to nap during their workdays--by, say, sleeping in the car at lunch--or should employers provide nap-rooms/nap-times?

• Sleeping at work -- more of us are doing it (LifeWire via CNN)
• Cheat Sheet for Power Naps (LifeHacker)
• How to Nap (Boston.com graphic)
• Sleeping at work improves performance, say researchers (The New Zealand Herald)

Comments

[Marcia Robinson - BullsEyeResumes]

This is great information for us. I know some companies really accommodate workers napping at the office - Silicon Valley dot coms come to mind. Speaking of napping and staying alert at work, I wrote about walking at work a few days ago.

We need all the help we can get to stay alert and creative, while managing stress at work.