Ways To Incorporate Napping At Workplace And Its Benefits
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 is 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 minutes can boost alertness and improve performance at work. Several companies with a strong commitment to employee wellness recognize the benefits of napping at work. It is an effective way to reset your mind and body necessary for boosting your alertness and work performance.
Benefits Of Napping At Work
Improves Alertness
As the day passes, you may find it difficult to concentrate on the task as your brain becomes tired and your alertness admits a blow. The finest way to restore alertness is to take a break and nap. Napping at work gets your brain refreshed like you have woken up in the morning.
Improves Productivity
Employees who take naps during their regular chores have more productive hours than their counterparts who don’t. According to a study conducted in 2002 at Harvard University, it was found that a 20-30-minute nap boosts employee's performance at work, scaling back their productivity levels to the start-of-the-day levels.
Helps Fight Exhaustion
As you perform your routine tasks at the office or home, you aim to complete them on time and then move to the next task. Our bodies are created to take breaks and rest between our chores. If you keep racing all the time you might end up messing up things around you. It 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. It will help you to relieve stress piling up and tackle the pending tasks more efficiently.
Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
Various studies have shown that people who take regular nap, 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: A brief power nap may contribute to a greater level of alertness for several hours.
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. According to various reports napping at work can even increase your job performance by 34%.
Get The Right Location
Find a space private and quiet, it will help you feel relaxed. If you’re in the office your office—you can shut the door of your cabin and hang a sign that reads will be back in a short while. Or you could also grab a quick nap on an outdoor bench or in your car. These days companies are even offering napping areas for employees in the office.
Try A Prop
Carry with yourself something that you associate with your sleep, it will help you doze off faster. If you feel like you can listen to a soothing soundtrack with your headphones or even try dabbing the aromatic lavender oil on your pulse points. If you're unable to sleep at your desk, try to get a nap in your car. A neck pillow, a cozy blanket, and an eye mask can help you fall asleep faster.
Never Nap After 4 PM
A power nap is a good thing when you do it correctly. 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 comfort sleep at night, or could make you feel very low instead of keeping you energized in the afternoon.
Avoid Napping If Insomniac
If you are 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 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.
Don’t Forget To Set An Alarm.
A power nap should ideally be no longer than 30 minutes. Be sure to set an alarm when you're ready to nap to avoid oversleeping. Sleeping for an extended period can leave you feeling groggy and worse off than before.
Ways To Allow Your employees to take a power nap at work
Allow Break Time
Give employees 20-30 minutes of break time for a power nap. It will help them stay active and in turn, will boost productivity at work.
Provide A Quiet Space.
Employers can offer a quiet space to employees for a quick power nap. It can be in any section of the office where there is less noise. Also, some soothing music can be played to cut noise and help employees doze off.
Turn Off Technology
Employers should allow employees to turn off their e-mails, phones, and messages during their power nap. Any kind of disturbance will not help employees sleep well and reap the benefits of the nap.
Allow Napping At The Desk
If there isn't a designated napping space for employees, they should be allowed to nap at their desks. During their nap, they can indicate their return time with a card to avoid being disturbed for about 20 minutes.
Allow Employees To Choose Their Nap Time According To Their Comfort
People feel drowsy at different times of the day. Some may feel like napping right after lunch, while others may prefer a nap later in the afternoon. Therefore, it would be beneficial for employers to allow their employees to choose their nap time so they can rest when they need to.
Provide Education On How To Nap In The Right Manner
Employees should be given proper education about the benefits of napping at work and what they should do for a sound nap. They must be educated that feeling tired while working is natural and it is okay to take a nap to feel rejuvenated and better. It will not only improve their mood but will also increase their productivity at work.
So, if you want to boost the productivity of your employees at work and know more about how to implement the power nap sessions at the workplace to get the desired outcome, don’t hesitate to reach our wellness experts.