Remember naptime in nursery school? The teacher would say “It’s time for today’s nap!” and half the class would instantly begin having meltdowns. Now, in our busy, adult lives, most people would do just about anything for our bosses to walk in and demand that we take a nap.
The Benefits of Napping at Work
Sound outlandish? Well, my sleep-deprived busy-bees, more and more workplaces are jumping on the bandwagon and promoting workplace naps. As it turns out, napping has some crazy benefits! Here are some naptime perks that will help keep you feeling like a functioning human being throughout the workday.
- Naps keep you alert. They also increase your motor skills, so that you can continue being constructive for the rest of your day.
- Naps trump coffee. Actually, naps are better than most forms of caffeine. The caffeine will keep you up, but it lessens your ability to remember things, causing you to make mistakes.
- Naps prevent burnouts. When you’re busy at work, napping doesn’t always seem like the most effective solution, but a quick nap actually increases productivity.
No wonder some companies are advocating naptime. Although, these benefits really come into play when you nap correctly. Yes, you read that right – there are correct and incorrect ways to take a nap. That’s okay because most of our bosses aren’t going to let us pass out for three hours at work anyway. But if you follow simple rules like these, you’ll wake up from your catnap feeling recharged and ready to take on the rest of the day.
- Try to keep your nap 20 minutes or less. This is just enough time for your mind and body to get some rest. If you nap longer than 20 minutes your body starts to go into deeper levels of sleep. Going into a deeper sleep is only good if you’ve got plenty of time to devote to your nap because interrupting a deep sleep level can make you feel pretty groggy.
- Nap in a cool setting. Your body naturally begins to cool at night, and knocking the office thermostat down a couple of degrees can help promote the quick sleep you need.
- Take your nap between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Ah, perfect – right in the middle of the workday. Excuse my sarcasm, but experts say napping during those hours of the afternoon are far enough away from the time you wake up, so you’re beginning to get tired, but still not close to bedtime, so you’re able to sleep at night.
So, what companies are promoting workplace naps? According to the Today Show, companies like Huffington Post, Ben and Jerry’s, Nationwide Planning, and Google have supplied their employees with ‘nap rooms’. These rooms are equipped with couches, chairs, and in some cases, “energy pods” like these…
The next time you start to feel guilty about wanting to doze off on the job, don’t. Remember that napping the right way can keep you productive during the workday, and keep you away from overloading on caffeine. Hmm… I wonder if Google’s hiring…
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