The Art of the Nap
The restorative powers of a midday nap are well known to kindergartners, family pets and Grandpa Bill. The rest of us usually try to “power through” that afternoon slump, feeling it most about eight hours after waking—which explains the 3 o’clock coffee-shop lineups. But what if we were to counteract that natural dip in energy and productivity by giving our bodies and minds what they really want—a short sleep to improve our moods, energy levels, memory and cognitive abilities? Even a few minutes of real rest can be enough for many people to feel refreshed and ready to face the rest of the day.
A short nap during your workday may boost your
productivity and better your health
Sleep is for the weak?
Feeling exhausted, and working through it, has become a perverse point of pride for those with a strong work ethic. We’re busy people with things to do, so who wants to admit that they could use an afternoon snooze? Even a freelance writer like yours truly, who could easily sneak in a nap every day, feels a little guilty crawling back to bed while the sun still shines. But many of history’s great thinkers and achievers did exactly that.
During World War II, world leader Winston Churchill would nap for at least an hour in the early afternoon, and later wrote in his memoirs, “Nature had not intended mankind to work from eight in the morning until midnight without the refreshment of blessed oblivion which, even if it only lasts twenty minutes, is sufficient to renew all the vital forces.”
Asleep on the job
Some progressive workplaces that are hip to the ‘sleep solution’ for worker performance have created nap rooms, such as Vancity’s headquarters in downtown Vancouver. However, not everyone’s workplace is nap-friendly, despite the clear benefits for employees. You could try passing some of this information on to your boss, emphasizing the gains in overall employee health and productivity. Maybe even try the Churchill quote. Best of all, unlike the health insurance plan or the fitness room, letting people sleep doesn’t cost anything.
Even if you decide to go it alone, carving out the time and space to have a workday snooze can be tricky. Maybe there’s a couch in a conference room you could claim. Or what about a quick snooze in your car during lunch or a break? Even putting your head down at your desk for a few minutes is worth doing. When you’re drifting off at your computer, why not just give in to it for 10 minutes?
Timing is everything
Everyone’s napping needs are different, but about 20 minutes seems the ideal for many. That’s because the body’s first two stages of sleep are roughly 10 minutes apiece. Stay asleep much longer than that, and you may find you’re groggier than ever because you will have crossed the border into a deeper level of sleep. Setting an alarm for about 30 minutes should give you enough time to fall asleep and wake up refreshed, but fine-tune the timing until you find what works best for you. Luckily, this kind of work is largely pleasurable!
