Naps, Not Just For Kids Anymore

Remember the days when you fought tooth and nail not to take a nap?  If you are like most people you are probably wishing you could get those naps back.  We are a very on the go society, and sleep always seems to gets left behind.  Naps also have a bad wrap of taken only by the lazy or unmotivated. Would you have called Thomas Edison, JFK , Churchill, or Napoleon slackers?  Didn’t think so, but guess what all big nappers!

Naps are making a comeback in popularity, with some companies (big and small) adding nap rooms to their offices so that workers can pop in for a quick refreshing.  Adrianna Huffington of the Huffington Post boasts quite loudly about the nap rooms at her offices and she isn’t the only one.  CEOs are learning that giving their employees a chance to nap during a work day, not only makes the employee happier and prone to less mistakes, it helps to grow the company’s bottom line.

What makes naps so great?  Everything!  Ok maybe not everything, but by taking a 20 minute nap a day you can boost your creativity, your performance in everything from work to working out, you reduce stress, and reduce the chances of making costly mistakes. Naps have also been linked to improving memory; prevent burnout, and heightening your senses (making that healthy meal you just made taste all that much tastier).

The Loughborough University tested ways to improve driver alertness, a 15-20 minute nap was shown to improve alertness as effectively as a cup of coffee (or other caffeinated beverage) great for getting an afternoon lift without having to worry about not being able to sleep at bedtime. Plus you save the few dollars you would have handed over to the local coffee shop.

The key to most naps is the length of the nap.  Science has proven that a short nap of 15-20 minutes is the perfect pick me up any longer and you run the risk of waking up with sleep inertia, which is the grogginess that follows you around after you have just woken up.   If time permits or you are trying to “catch up” on sleep a nap of 90 minutes gives you and your body a restorative feeling without creating a feeling of grogginess upon waking.

Maybe you don’t work in an office that offers naps room, or you boss hasn’t bought into the awesomeness of naps for his bottom line, why not take your hour lunch and spend half an hour eating and twenty minutes taking a quick nap in your car.  Just don’t forget to set an alarm so that you wake up on time.  If you are stay at home why not join your kids for a nap ok just the first 20 minutes of it.

You may feel guilty or lazy when you first start napping, but remember you are the same company and some the greatest minds in our history.