| by Sarah Lipman | 1/15/07 | 212 views |
Bosses and professors alike may not be so supportive of that nap you took during their last staff meeting or lecture. Researchers are finding that those few extra minutes of sleep during the day can actually be beneficial and are encouraging you to go ahead and take that 20-minute power nap.
Power naps—short 15-30 minute naps—do not make up for lost sleep, but can prevent burnout and actually increase alertness and the capability to perform mental tasks, according to a National Institutes of Health 2002 news release.
Irritation, poor task performance and increased frustration set in as a day of work proceeds when a nap is absent. Accidents on the road and in the workplace are more likely to occur in tired employees, according to studies performed by National Sleep Foundation.
In a study conducted by Ph.D. Robert Stickgold, students performed a visual task both with and without a nap. He discovered by allowing 30-minute to 1-hour naps boosted performance levels and prevented burnout.
“The bottom line: we should stop feeling guilty about taking that ‘power nap’ at work or catching those extra winks the night before our piano recital,” the National Institutes of Health said in their 2002 news release.
Feeling tired or groggy is not uncommon among adults in the afternoon. A regular nap can be both refreshing and re-energizing if it is kept short— no longer than one hour. If they exceed the recommended time, naps are more likely to decrease the quality of nighttime sleep, which is necessary in order to make up for sleep deficits.
Power naps, although they do not adequately make up for sleep deficits, have been proved beneficial in heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair. Power naps utilize a shorter sleep-time by getting the sleeper rejuvenated as quickly as possible.
Sleep comes in five stages that occur in a cycle throughout the night. . In order to gain the full effects of a power nap sleep should coincide with the first two stages, which last an average 20 minutes. The first stage causes respiration and muscle movement to slow. The second stage is a light sleep in which body temperature and muscle relaxation continues, to prepare the body for a deeper sleep.
Research performed by Dr. Sara Mednick, a scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has proved people who nap during the workday show a higher brain activity throughout the day. Without the power nap, activity decreases as the day wears on.
Companies nationwide are taking their employees into consideration and allowing them time to nap. “Sleep experts say that more and more employers, aware of the hits they take to health, safety, and productivity because of sleep deficits, are taking action,” according to a recent article in Time Magazine.
MetroNaps, which opened in May 2004, is based out of the Empire State Building and charges $14 for the use of facilities to take a brief power nap. The co-founder of MetroNaps, Arshad Chowdhury, said that the use of his facilities brings increased motivation to the work force.
“Sleep deprivation has been a big problem in the workplace for the last 50 years,” Chowdhury said. “My company seeks to address those problems and provide a proper environment for taking a quick nap to decrease the side effects of sleep deficits.”
MetroNaps provides dome-like pods which are ideal for a short nap with a balance between privacy and a peaceful atmosphere, Chowdhury said.
“An employee can duck out of work for 20 minutes and nap for just long enough so they will no longer be tired or groggy when they return back to their daily tasks,” he said.
     
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University of Delaware
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