The case for sleeping on the job!
Your boss won’t like this one, but hear me out please. I have worked in jobs where an employee was sacked for sleeping on the job. Maybe if everybody concerned was equipped with the knowledge of what I am about to divulge to you, dear reader, those who were fired for napping at work would have a strong case for unfair dismissal. I have worked my life both as an employer and an employee, so for the purpose of this exercise, let us just say that I have a leg in both camps.
A lot of what is coming next has to do with my own ability to power-nap almost at will; plus the fact that I have watched the Spaniards up close indulging in their daily siesta. I firmly believe that workers should all be entitled to put the head down for a short nap during their shift. Now, lest management is inclined to slam this page shut, you need to know that instead of lost productivity, a short mid-shift nod would refresh the worker and lead to a boost in output.
Before we move on to strengthening the argument for the power-nap at work, let us ask employers if they don’t think that any employee working from home hasn’t stretched out in the chair for forty winks? Of course they have. It is, therefore, all wrong that this habit be viewed negatively.
Naturally it is easier to have a short snooze in the privacy of your own home, but you can get used to sleeping anywhere. The Spanish workers don’t need privacy… and neither do I! I can sleep at airports, waiting rooms, planes, trains and buses. Noise is no barrier to my power-nap. I feel it coming on; elbows on knees, head in hands until waves of blissful slumber engulf me. Granted, it sometimes takes a few seconds to establish where I am on awakening, but the thing for all of you to remember is that I wake up a new man! Fifteen minutes is the usual duration – for those of you intending to bring it up at the next staff meeting.
There is a difference between the power-nap and the siesta. Having engaged in both, I shall endeavour to enlighten you. Mind you, both are good for you but you need to know the difference. Like we said, 15 minutes or so is ideal for the power-nap. I have a built in alarm clock; head in hands, elbows on knees and after a quarter of an hour, the weight on my knees and the tingling in my arms wakes me up. If I sleep for longer than 20 minutes I wake up sort of dopey. (Ah Lads, please… be nice at this time of year). Anyway, we shall come back to the power-nap in a moment, if you are all still awake.
In the meantime, let’s examine the siesta. The siesta is more common in hot climates and where there is a more leisurely mode of living. It is longer than your power-nap and is generally regarded as being an hour or two in duration. (Or whatever your jefe allows!) Your sweetest siesta allows for a deeper sleep; but remember the warning we gave about the grogginess for a short while afterwards. Don’t try the climbing of a ladder for your first act on coming back to life.
Write this memo to your boss or partner: A siesta improves cognitive features, improves your mood, alertness, increased creativity and general performance. That should do it? Head it, ‘the ultimate secret weapon for productivity’. For your personal wellbeing, a daily siesta contributes to better cardiovascular health, reduces stress and lowers the risk of heart disease.
But back to the short power-nap, my personal favourite. This quick shut-eye doesn’t just rest your brain, but like its sister, the siesta, it improves your physical health as well. It has been linked to improved immune system, reduced inflammation and even helps with weight management. One expert claims that power-napping can lower the risk of heart disease by 48%.
We only need to take a close look and copy nature. Does your dog take an afternoon nap? Doesn’t the cat curl up in the chair for forty winks during the day? As my Uncle Paddy would have said; ‘they must know something’. Most animals will enjoy a siesta – and so should we.
And now, I know you won’t mind if I shorten this article; I feel the pleasurable waves of dreamland coming over me. My power nap will improve my cognitive and creative skills… and maybe whatever I do when I wake up will be done better than this!
Don’t Forget
Newspapers have long had a reputation for occasional inaccuracy or even stretching the truth. But the American statesman Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) thought differently about adverts. ‘Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper,’ he loftily declared. So, don’t forget to support our advertisers this Christmas season!