Once considered a taboo, Napping on the job is now promoted due to its several benefits. Today, more and more companies are encouraging employees for a mid-shift snooze.

And it’s a wise practice. According to a survey,  29% of workers reported falling asleep or becoming dizzy at work, and a lack of sleep results in lost productivity. On the other hand, a short nap of twenty-minute can really boost alertness as well as improve performance at work. It is an amazing way to reset your mind and body necessary in boosting your alertness and work performance.

Benefits of napping at work

1. Improves Alertness

As the day passes by, you may find it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand as your brain becomes tired and your alertness admits a major blow. The finest way to restore alertness is to take a break and have a nap. Napping at work gets your brain refreshed just like you’ve woken up in the morning. 

2. Improves Productivity

According to the study conducted in the year 2002 at Harvard University, it was found that a 20-30-minute nap boosts employees performance at work, scaling back their productivity levels to the start-of-the-day levels.

3. Helps Fight Exhaustion

As you perform your routine tasks at the office or home, your aim is to complete them in time and then move to the next task. Our bodies are naturally created to take breaks and rest between our chores. If you keep on racing all the time you might end messing up things around you. This can result in exhaustion,  stress,  or frustration. You can reboot your system at the office by taking a small nap of 20-30 minutes to feel energized and refreshed. This will help you to relieve stress which was already piling up and you can tackle the pending tasks more efficiently.

4. Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

Various studies have shown that people who take regular naps, at midday for at least three times a week, are 37% less likely to suffer from heart disease as compared to those who don’t.

Tips to sneak in nap time at work

Drowsiness in the daytime can affect accuracy, concentration, mood, creativity, and productivity. Employees who are sleep-deprived are at greater risk of a variety of health issues, like, depression, hypertension, and diabetes. When we talk about boosting employee productivity, taking a quick power nap at work might not be such a bad idea after all.

1. Keep It Short But Significant

A short snooze of approximately 20 minutes is probably the easiest to take at the office since it fits into the lunch break schedule. And since it is a power nap you tend not to fall into a deeper stage of sleep, ultimately preventing you from feeling groggy. But before you go for a quick nap be sure to set your alarm, so you wake up on time.

2. Get the Right Location

Find a space that is relatively private and quiet as it will help you feel relaxed. If you’re in your office—you can shut the door of your cabin and hang a sign that reads “will be back in a short while.”

3. Try a Prop

Carry with yourself something that you associate with your sleep, this will help you doze off faster. If you feel like you can even listen to a soothing soundtrack with your headphones on, or even try dabbing the aromatic lavender oil on your pulse points. A neck pillow, a fuzzy blanket, and an eye mask can also help you lull you into dreamland faster.

4. Never Nap after 4 PM

A power nap is a really good thing when you do it correctly. Obviously, taking a nap after 4 PM isn’t good for your overall health. Taking a nap late in the afternoon will make you lose your comfortable sleep at night, or worst could make you are very low instead of keeping you energized in the afternoon.

5. Avoid Napping if Insomniac

If you’re an insomniac you already face difficulty in falling asleep and maintaining your sleep. In such situations, if you opt for a power nap, awakening too early may cause a restless sleep experience and might turn out bad instead of good. So, if you’ve difficulty in falling asleep, don’t opt for a power nap instead take a short break and listen to some soothing music or go out for a refreshing walk.

6. Don’t forget to set an alarm

A power nap ideally should not be of more than 30 minutes. So whenever you’re ready to take a nap, don’t forget to set your alarm to avoid oversleeping. As sleeping for a longer duration of time can make you groggy and you’d end up feeling worse.

Source: Truworthwellness