Continuing the Case for Naps

Last week in my post, What if Real Life was just like Preschool, I touched on the topic of continuing naps into adulthood. I think this a very good thing, especially given the number of hours we're all working these days, our filled-to-the-brim schedules, and our experience-everything attitudes. I'm a fan of experiencing everything and following all of my passions - including working - but what if there's just not enough hours in the day for that? The reality is, most of us aren't getting enough sleep these days, which was the topic of U.S. New's article, "Why Power Naps at Work are Finally Catching On."

Business are setting up nap rooms, using tents, and lofted beds, or are, at Worman Publishing in New York, and as seen in Nick Jr's ads, simply sleeping on mats under their desks:

 " 'You can close your eyes for 10 or 15 minutes and wake up feeling completely refreshed,' says Susan Bolotin, Workman's editor in chief, which has been nap-friendly since 2007. 'We've seen very positive effects...'We have one guy who works here who likes to nap, and you'll walk by and he'll be lying down on a mat like a kid in nursery school,' she says."

 Why are naps finally catching on? Moodiness has something to do with it, as does productivity, but there's also the issue of employees' health and well-being. More sleep means a more efficient immune system, which means fewer sick days, certainly. But take this statistic: "People who take daily 30-minute naps are 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease than those who don't nap, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2007."

Short naps - meaning 20 to 30 minute refresher naps - are the key, however, to preventing slow-wake-ups and grogginess.

Whatever the length - I'm in favor!

For more nap reading, check out this 2008 post from Huffington Post on how napping boosts "sophisticated memory."