How to Become a Better Employee by Sleeping on the Job
By: Bean Jones
When it comes to sleep, I'm an all-or-nothing guy. If I can't get it six to eight hours straight then I'd rather stay up--or else I'd wake up crabby. Then again--in light of my post-lunch lethargy--maybe it's time for me to learn a popular energy-boosting trick: power napping.
Siesta Awareness, a quirky site devoted to sleep, reveals that Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon, and Albert Einstein were all power nappers. In fact, as the site's trivia reveals, Einstein napped frequently during the day to help him think more clearly. The genius would allegedly sit in his favorite armchair with a pencil in his hand and purposefully doze off. To make sure that he didn't go over the power nap time limit, he'd wake when the pencil dropped.
Just what is the power nap time limit?
According to the data cited in the National Institute of Mental Health Power-Nap Study, a 30-minute nap ensures better performance on tasks. Experts emphasize that a power nap should not exceed this time frame. The goal is not to enter stage five REM sleep, but to remain at the alpha-wave level of sleep, which gives a feeling of meditative relaxation.
You see, as the day progresses at the office (or any other work environment for that matter), workplace stress begins to take its toll on employees. Aside from becoming irritable and easily frustrated, they falter at mental tasks. The nap gives them their second wind and prevents further performance deterioration.
In particular, research done by Salk Institute for Biological Studies reveals that power naps can boost productivity, lower stress, and improve memory. Looking at magnetic resonance imaging or MRI photos of power nappers' brains, the researchers found that their brain activity stays high throughout the day. Meanwhile, the brain activity of non-nappers declines later in the day. This explains why non-nappers like me feel as if our brains have been squeezed dry by dinner time.
So, now, I'm beginning to think that what worked for Einstein may very well work for me. Now, if I can only figure out how I can snooze comfortably at my desk, I'm on my way to becoming a genius. Or, at the very least, committing less typos.
Comments
this is good news for insomniacs like me. but since i sit in front of the CEO's office, i wonder how i can get away with that. harhar.
Power naps are great, and it doesn't matter where you sit - as long as you sit straight up.
The key is to become totally relaxed - one deep inhale, one deep exhale, close your eyes and zzzzzzzz.
Power napping to enhance performance ?!?
I guess that gives new meaning to the phrase "Sleeping your way to the top". ;o)
Now if we can convince the CEO's of the companies we work for that this would be good for the bottom line....hmmmmm.
Many countries observe this wisdom by having a siesta time. I observe power nap wherever I feel a need for it. It only takes 5 minutes to do it.Once may even actually be enough but if I find that I need to do one while I am waiting in any office,in my car while waiting in the parking lot, or at my workplace, I take one and I feel so much more relaxed and I am able to deal with the rest of the day.
It is easy. Just sit upright, with your back supported by a chair, and just close your eyes and take few deep breaths. With every breath you take fill your chest in, and with every outbreath allow for the release of tension from your cells.Let the in breath be active and the outbreath passive, like a way of letting go.
In a few moments you will be asleep , and when you wake up you will feel refreshed as if you have had a long nap.
Don't nap lying down. because you will have a tendency to sleep longer and you will not feel good about it. Besides, I don't think your boss has a bed reserved for you at the work place!!!Cheers...
ruby
Thank you for the information. If you truely love what you are doing, who needs the sleep! You are loving and appreciating every second of your work that its not even work to you!
If you nap at work, you just have to practice saying as you come back to life "....Forever and ever, Amen", so if someone is there when you wake up, they think you were praying.
I read about a study which showed that emotional response is hindered by lack of sleep, such as regret for rash behavior (the study was done with gamblers). Memory is impaired with lack of sufficient rest as well, a relief to many of us who fear it's associated with old age. Turns out, we may just need more sleep!
At times power nap has nothing to do with our love or hatred for our job. sometimes we could eat a starchy or heavy meal and in an hour or so we end up feeling drowsy. That is because our brain lends its blood supply to the stomach to help the stomach with its digestive proceses. This is a great time to help the brain to take a rest. If we love our work we can always power nap so we can do our job well enough. Or maybe if we truly love our job we should stick to carrots and celery for our lunch. cheers!!ruby
if am a driver, i wonder how it would feel like to sleep on the job!
I've been a power napper all my life. I'm 63 years old. When I worked for someone else I use to have a 15 minute power nap at lunch time.
During the past 30 years , when I have been self-employed my power nap is built into my schedule.
The Univesity of Ottawa is studying it. Ben and Jerry's have sleep rooms. Some day business will see the light and provide them and service will be much better for it.
In Asia where it is hot one can see the sales girls nodding off at their post.
There it is part of life as it is in many other hot countries.
To our driver, you will probably reach your destination on the road if you power napped off the road!!! Let us pray that someday the city will create places like what the truckers have on the highway.. a rest area...cheers!!! ruby
My father learned from his attorney the benifits of a power nap. Being self employed he made it 2 hr nap. He installed a barber chair in his shop and napped in it. Most of that nap was a planning session in his mind.
I learned self-hypnosis and can sleep at will.
I take afternoon naps and work at the putor at night. 72 years old and sometime I forget to wake up at the planned time.
as a care giver I was sleep deprived for the past year. Now It seems to be catching up and I like to rest.
Great posts guys, Thanks
I've been saying "sleep your way to top for over 10 years!" Why because that's where all the energy really comes from...
I do absolutely agree! I've checked it out while studying for my college exams. Reading through long pages of boring but to-learn-by-any-means stuff, I was naturally feeling sleepy every now and then. Following a wise piece of advise from my favourite aunt, I decided to satisfy the natural need rather then to fight it. Surprisingly it helped out - after waking up I was easily following the topic, but in addition the information was getting so much easier into my brain. Now to learn something I take the book to bed and read there so that napping is so easy.
Do a George Costanza for under your desk!!
I have found that I need power naps. I thought it was the computer monitor doing it, but it wasn't, it's just I work at a high energy rate which needs refreshing at intervals.
I also like to listen to auditory meditation when feeling lethrgic too, and although I wont drift off into a power nap, most times it re-energizes me and not only that, I somehow get told by my sub-conscious what I should be doing next!
Dean
Cecil Whorton is perfectly correct. Self-hypnosis is an excellent tool you can use to derive the same results as you would power-napping. The best thing one could do for him or herself (most especially if trapped in employment that they have no compassion for) is to learn self-hypnosis to achieve relaxation. This helps alleviate the stress that comes with low-wage jobs and the high paced office jobs. A rested mind means clearer thinking. The other thing would be to work on alternatives (non-wage incomes such as passive income) thus moving towards areas they have high passion for. Simpleology is a great way to equip one's self for that journey.
I swear by this. The 2 minutes of fog after a 20-30 min. nap are fine, as per the turbo charge you get until well into bedtime. With a new baby now 20 month old, and 5 min from work @ lunch, naps are gold, especially for 90 of the day number crunching.
You are right, but the problem is no organization is ready to accept this theory, they are happy to take your 6hours night sleep also, leave that 30min nap.