June 25, 2007
You know that gentle buzz coming from your computer under the desk? These days, it's possible that it's coming from a co-worker, taking a snooze. It turns out that more and more people are extolling the benefits of cat-naps, even at work. The most famous at work napper — George Costanza — was punished for it, but researcher Sara Mednick believes it can change your life. Do you ever doze off — on purpose — on the job?
I take a nap on an old army cot in my office. It helps that I have my own business and I am in my studio by myself most of the day. I take less naps these days because I seem to get all the sleep I need during the night -- another benefit of being my own boss.
Sleeping is part of my lifestyle. I wouldn't be able to function without rest. It's like how they say "everything has an equal and opposite reaction."
Greetings,
While working on a (civilian) fire hand crew in the early 80's in California I learned to take a 20 minute nap.I was refreshed for a hard additional 6-10 hours of firefighting.
I think "drool pads" should be standard fare at the workplace. this site was fascinating when I was looking for a story about famous nappers. http://thewisdomofdreams.com/Famous_Nappers.html
Fascinating research. I often grab a 5-10 minute nap on my way back to the office after lunch, usually sitting in my car in the parking lot. I'm a bit groggy right after I wake up, but I feel much better through the rest of the day. This should be a no brainer, if we look, for example, cultures that practice the siesta (I'm aware of Italy and Spain and other Latin countries). The secondary benefits of the siesta are deepening family relationships, less energy consumption (in the heat of the day), less stress... All anechdotal from a research point of view, but very attractive. My body seems to know it's a good idea.
--rw
Rick Wattman
MN
Good afternoon,
does your guest have any children? I mean kids past nap age?
Sincerely
Amanda Theodoropulos
Naps are a must for me during tax season (I'm a CPA). Since I regularly put in 12+ hour days during that period, I take a 15 minute nap during the day, and keep a blanket and pillow in my office for that purpose. I close the door to my office, turn out the lights, and stretch out on the floor. Even if I don't actually fall asleep, resting my body helps get me through the rest of the day.
When I had a summer internship, on especially long days I would go out to my car and take a twenty minute nap. I would never dream of snoozing inside (because I had an open office.) It did help me through the day!
Or you can pay for a nap in this cool pod:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0902/p12s02-lign.html
I frequently take naps mid-afternoon and when I regulate the amount of time spent in lala land, do pretty well when I get up. My real experience with the benefits of napping comes from my experience as a military transport pilot and as the director of a university flight training program in Florida. Using the copilot in the transport plane business was a great way to be ready for a combat mission or an instrument approach in difficult weather.
In Florida, my instructor pilots voiced concern about fatigue while flying in the afternoon after an early morning start, so we took a classroom and converted it into a pilot lounge complete with couches, overstuffed chairs, low lights and good air conditioning. The response was very positive and our safety record was unblemished for nearly five years, in part we believe because of the chance for the "pause that refreshes." Fatigue studies are a big deal at that school; checck them out (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University).
I work two jobs now, 10-15 min naps have saved my life! At a past job (Countrywide) I used to work 10-12 hour days and needed a nap so bad that I would crawl under my desk w/ a pillow that I would smuggle in to my cubicle and nap for 15-20 min. My manager never found out... good thing! Sad that this is not encouraged more. I intend to start a "napping shop" that allows for people to come in and nap for up to 30 min. What do you think?
Thanks for allowing me a place to post this :)
Aloha
Hello,
These are all great napping stories. Many listeners have expressed surprise that their secret weapon (the nap) is shared by so many others. My guess is that there are many more of us than we realize. Thanks NPR for giving us a voice! Please feel welcome to send me more stories, research ideas, comments at my website takeanap.info.
I'm an advocate for naps. For many years I combined full-time work with full-time school (both undergrad and grad). So a nap during mid-day (during my lunch hour) was a needed refresher. Sometimes I took a nap after work if I have a two-hour break between the job and class. If I don't take such naps during those times, the classroom will pay for it especially if the professor is boring.
Now that I've graduated from grad school, I still incorporate naps a few days a week. My company's HR knows of my secret weapon because while a few colleagues go for walks, I take naps in my car. I'm glad to work in a place that promote such healthy rituals.
I have been napping in my car at work for almost 10 years. Once I got called into the Directors office because it was reported to HR that I was sleeping in my car. They thought I was homeless and that I lived in my car! The confusion was exasperated by the fact that I would carpool and sometimes leave my car there at night. I just wish there were more shady spots in the parking lot at work as I live in Florida and the sun is brutal. I must of course run the car during my nap and use the air conditioning, but despite all this I can't give my nap up. Napping keeps me on my toes and in such better spirits. It can be embarrassing when coworkers find out about it and gossip about it however. Our society shames the napper.
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