Benefits of Sleeping on the Job
Posted in Health & Safety
Students and sleepy heads love it. Now, many studies provide evidence that catching a few zzzzz's at work can be beneficial to the health of the employees. This enhances their productivity, which is good for company profits. Here are some of the benefits of power napping at work:
It boosts problem solving
A 20-minute nap can boost creativity and problem solving skills, reveals Sara Mednick's most recent research. Mednick is a research scientist at Salk Institute in California who has been studying health benefits of napping for the past decade.
Power napping allows the brain to make the loose associations needed for creative insight, opening the way for new ideas. So if you can't resolve a problem at a boardroom meeting, try to rest and catch some sleep. You'll be surprised of the fresh ideas and new solutions when you get back.
It's good for the heart
Snoozing at work is a quick remedy that provides you with long-term benefits. According to Mednick, napping can save your life - napping thrice weekly or more can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by about 37%.
If you couple it with regular exercise, then "it's a super perfect combination," she said. It's therefore not a surprise that countries where siestas are a way of life appear to have lower risks of coronary heart disease.
It fights fatigue stress
Workers are generally sleep-deprived, as most get only 6.5 hours of sleep when they should be getting 8 hours. Mednick said that you can fight fatigue by making up for the lack of sleep with a 20-minute to 90-minute nap.
Power napping at work can also reduce stress. Stress hormone levels are found to be significantly lower in people who take stress-reducing actions like napping compared to those who don't.
So take a break, find a comfortable, quiet spot and catch some sleep. It can make you feel renewed, refreshed, and more focused. Also, it makes you more energetic and alert.
It improves memory and learning
Power napping can also be good for your memory and may enhance your capability to learn some tasks. Dozing off for a few minutes can protect your brain neurons from abuse or overuse until those circuits can consolidate what has been learned about a certain task.
Other benefits
There are many other benefits of power napping at work. It improves accuracy and perception, helps in weight loss, improves sex life, elevates mood, alleviates headaches, keeps you looking younger, improves your productivity and performance, and improves profits for companies.
