Napping at work

[susans]

I read this earlier today: "A workday snooze can relieve sleep deprivation and boost your productivity." Then I  remembered reading about MetroNaps, a place in New York where you can "rent sleep pods."    I know there are days I find myself dragging and would love to be able to take a nap, if I could.  

So the Soundoff this week is about Napping at Work.  Do you think it would help?  Would you like to if you could?  Do think sleep deprivation affects a person's performance?  In general, what are your comments about Napping at Work.  

Here are a few statistics from the MetroNaps website.  I know I get about 6 hours asleep many nights and KNOW it affects my mornings.  But knowing this I tend to do my routine, not much thought tasks, until late morning :-).   Maybe a nap would be just would I need but I would feel so guilty to take one.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reports that:
-The average adult sleeps under 7 hours a night during a work week.
-33% of adults surveyed sleep only 61/2 hours nightly.
-40% of adults admit that the quality of their work suffers when they're sleepy.
-68% say their ability to concentrate is diminished by sleepiness.
-19% report making mistakes and errors due to sleepiness.
-Sleepy drivers cause approximately 100,000 car crashes annually.
-33% of adults surveyed would nap at work, if allowed.

Edited by susans on 26/02/07 07:36 AM.

[gee4]

No def would not nap at work.  Napping would make me feel worse.  I'd rather have my 8-10 hours every night.  If you cannot manage your time effectively and get enough sleep then why should an employer pay you for sleeping at work?

[raindance]

.I do not need to sleep during my working day (although I sometimes snooze a little on my journey home).  I do ensure that I take my lunch break, drink plenty of water throughout the day, eat sensibly,and take some exercise at lunchtime which all help to keep me alert.  

Getting enough sleep is another thing, and not always possible for everyone - particularly those with people to care for, such as children.

I rather think it all depends on the industry in which a person works.  I would prefer to know that haulage drivers and health care workers are reasonably rested, thus helping to avoid accidents.

Sleep-pods are an interesting idea. One of my nieces for instance, works in banking. She is at her desk at 6.30 am every morning and works until 9.00 pm or 10.00 pm every night - a punishing schedule by anybody's standards.  She's young and so has plenty of energy and stamina but her schedule only leaves her 8.5 hours to do domestic things and sleep.  I think a sleep-pod at her workplace might be a very good idea!  

Raindance

[itsme_calista]

I couldn't image taking a "nap" to get me through the day and I manage about 7 hours a night, although i'm pushing for more early nights just lately.

I will admit my performance suffers when I'm tired and can remember apologising to my boss once for my yukky performance due to tiredness (although I was also getting over bronchitis).

I do feel jealous of the "siesta" over in the Mediterranean, but can't see it catching on within the 9-5 business cultures.

C

[susans]

Actually it does say that if you do get enough sleep power naps of course or not needed.  It is intended to battle sleep deprivation.    I read there is a two-step routine for power napping.  This information is from research done at the Loughborough University in the UK.

1. Relax and drink a cup of coffee.

2. Close your eyes and let yourself fall asleep for 15 minutes.

I still would feel guilty and would rather get enough sleep on a normal basis.  But lack of sleep can happen for many reason, having young kids, stressful situations, working long hours, health issues.  If you aren't able to get enough sleep, what do you do?

[duque]

I'm lucky again with this!! We don't really seem to need a nap during the colder weather but in summer when it gets really hot here (up to 42º)during July and August we enjoy what we call our "summer hours". We work from 8 am to 3 pm and its lovely getting home and beeing able to have a good old "siesta".

[diamondlady]

If it were already an accepted policy, I may think about it. There are days that for some reason I am just really run down, for no good reason.  Not due to lack of sleep, cuz I am really good at getting at least 6 hours each night consistently.  I NEED that to function properly.  But in the rare case I don't get that I suffer through the day and am not at 100% like I need to be.  Those are the days I would really enjoy just taking a 15 minute power nap.



Diamondlady
Peer Moderator

[spitfire78]

On occasions when I've had horrible days at work coupled with a lack of sleep (as I get older I think hormones are playing a huge part in the quality of sleep that I get), I've been known to take my lunch hour out in the car and just sprawl out on the back seat.  Sometimes I doze for 10-15 minutes, sometimes its just a matter of really relaxing and draining the mind of everything.  It really helps, and my afternoon always seems to go better than the morning did.  I am lucky that our parking lot is in a quiet location and so this works for me.  We don't have any place at work to lie down.

[countrigal]

I would love the opportunity to take a quick 15 min power nap at work when needed.  While I was pregnant, and not sleeping good at night, and just not able to make it through the day without one, I would take one of my allotted 15 min breaks. lock my door, and power nap.  Got me through the day, and definitely kept my productivity up.  In my current position, I don't have that door to lock myself away when needed, and those days that I've gotten 3-4 hours sleep the night before I can tell the difference in my production the next day -- and the number of corrections that come back on what I did do.  When it's really gotten bad, I have walked out to my car and took a quick 15 min nap instead of a break, but don't get a lot of chances to do that either.

And for those who are saying you need to organize and plan better to get that full night's sleep... remember, not everyone is in the same situation.  Some have kids, pets, parents, siblings, spouses, etc that require additional assistance or attention at night and break up the best laid plans.

I know that if my boss or company would allow the power naps, not many of us there would need them or use them often -- but to have that option when it is needed would definitely help my production and quality!  And I think it would also help reduce the number of sick days taken, as people might not get as run down as they get otherwise, being sleep deprived for long periods of time, and thus making them more susceptible to colds, flus and other nasty germs out there.

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

[tiffanyctd]

Usually, I don't need to take a nap during the day, but there are times that I'll take my lunch break and just sit in my car and doze. I set my cell phone's alarm to make sure I'm back to work on time.

I could definitely use a nap today. I got to bed on time last night, but around 1:30 AM, we had a huge thunderstorm that woke everyone up and then couldn't get back to sleep for over an hour. I think I almost would have felt more rested if I just hadn't gone to bed until after the storm was over!

[ozbound]

I've tried that trick - taking a quick nap in the back of my car on a day when I wasn't feeling well and really needed extra rest. However, I just felt rather groggy and disoriented afterwards. I find it more refreshing to meditate to a favourite CD with my eyes closed for a few minutes instead.

[k12144]

I could never do it.  I get an hour for lunch.  It'd probably take me half an hour to fall asleep, what with all the noise and trying to be hunched over my desk and.....  Generally when I take a nap, if I can't get at least two hours, I don't do it because I wake up more tired than I started....