Published: August 14, 2008 10:35 pm         

Attention bosses! Catnaps are good for workers — and you

Point Blank

It’s normal to feel sluggish in the afternoon, even if you don’t eat a heavy lunch.

The best pick-me-up: A power nap. It can leave you feeling more energized and refreshed than a cup of coffee will, according to James Maas, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Cornell University and author of “Power Sleep.”

A daily catnap (as my wife and I refer to the time-out sequence) is also a more effective way to catch up on much-needed rest than sleeping in or snoozing longer on weekends.

For optimum benefits, it’s best to take a quick nap at about the same time every day, preferably in the early afternoon, or eight hours after you wake up.

Some people are helped by just closing their eyes and relaxing.

If you’re at work, try to take a power nap during your lunch hour, if there’s a conference room or somewhere else you can stretch out.

But don’t doze for more than 30 minutes, or you’ll slip into a deep sleep and feel groggy when you wake.

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Grown-ups need naps just as much as kids do.

But did you know that afternoon napping is fast becoming a common and accepted practice among corporations across the United States?

Reason: increasing numbers of Americans admit to experiencing workplace fatigue.

Not surprising, considering that most of us balance the demands of career with busy lifestyles that include family, friends, community, church, and civic groups.

And when something has to give, it usually ends up being sleep.

Results of a survey conducted at the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) concluded that 56 percent of working adults experience significant drowsiness during business hours.

According to NSF reports, adults, on average, sleep for six hours and 58 minutes per night during the work week — about an hour less than the eight hours recommended by sleep experts.

Consequently, the NSF reports that production losses caused by fatigued workers cost companies an estimated $18 billion yearly.

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You may wonder who’s sleeping on the job. Simply put, nearly everyone. Employees have been sleeping on the job since the beginning of time — at their desks, in their cars, in restrooms, anywhere out of view of their bosses (who occasionally work in 40 winks behind closed office doors).

Occasional fatigue is a natural and human reaction to living. People get tired. Giving employees the opportunity to take a power nap — the average length ranges between 20 minutes and an hour — benefits everyone.

And creating corporate policies and designated napping areas are proving to be effective ways to increase employee productivity, strengthen morale, and increase company loyalty.

The design and location of these resting rooms varies from one company to the next. A firm in Kansas City, Mo., uses practical, movable tents in warm colors to insulate snoozers from the outside world of work, phones and stress.

To rejuvenate energy levels, these tents offer wee-hour-workers eye shades, soft music, a blanket, pillow and, most importantly, an alarm clock.

The owner of another company designed an eight-chamber slumber area after he noticed workers napping on the job. Each of the private chambers is equipped with a comfortable recliner, soft lighting, music, and a stone wall with trickling water to produce a soothing atmosphere. There is also a coffee room close by for when employees wake up.

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Napping stats reflect the following:

- Thirty-eight percent of adults in the U.S. nap at least once during the work week.

- Forty-one percent of 18- to 29-year-olds nap during the work week.

- Thirty-five percent of 30- to 64-year-olds nap during the work week.

Yet, most would agree, when it comes to napping on the job, dozing in front of the boss kind of takes the fun out the whole experience. On the other hand, though, executive napping kits, complete with a comfy pad, alarm clock, eye shades, a pillow and other napping gifts can be purchased through the Napping Company Inc., Reading Mass., and the Company Store, LaCrosse, Wis.

Some rules for napping, according to those who stay up nights pondering such matters:

- Light should be filtered or softened through the use of blinds or even tin foil.

- Fill napping area with white noise to block out the sounds of co-workers.

- Cool temperatures are more conducive to refreshing naps.

- At a minimum, remove your shoes. The best case is to go all the way down to a T-shirt and drawers (boxers are best).

- If you find yourself lying there unable to drift off because your mind is racing, abort the nap and take care of the issue that is causing the distraction.

Oh, yes! There is one other piece of advice about napping on company time: Know your enemies. The office can be a perilous place, even when you are just catching a few winks.

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Top o’ the morning!

— Blankenship is a columnist for The Register-Herald.

E-mail: jabbb@suddenlink.net