Joy is Good Business

Weekly Insights to Help You Reach Your Business Objectives

Every Tuesday, Joy is Good Business will provide information, science and best practices to help your business improve retention, productivity and profitability while decreasing burnout.

The Demise of Naps?

I’m a napper. I love them. Since working from home, I regularly “power nap” at least 3 times a week. Turns out I’m not alone. A Better Sleep Council study found that 22% of Americans nap during the workday.

But I wonder what will happen to naps once people go back to the office regularly? Will this spell the demise for naps?

There are profound arguments that employers should celebrate and promote the use of restorative naps. Some Silicon Valley companies embraced this idea long ago and incorporated sleep pods and other nap resources into their workplaces and cultures. Think of it as a way to offer your hard-working team members a restorative respite during the day while they work those long hours.

Here is a list the amazing benefits of a 10-30-minute nap. Naps can:

Improve memory – Sleep allows you to transfer short-term memories into long-term memory banks. A napper can do a mini-download during the day to free space for other short-term memory making during the remainder of the day.
Boost mood – Naps can improve emotional regulation so you are less irritable.
Spark creativity – A short snooze elevates activity in the brain’s right hemisphere, which manages creativity and insight.
Increase energy, alertness and concentration – An 20-minute nap yields stage 2 sleep to enhance efficiency for the afternoon.

These are simply a few benefits of naps, but here is another big one. Your bottom line can improve. All of these benefits can lead to improved productivity, which is the engine that drives performance in your business. Maybe paying someone to “sleep on the job” isn’t such a bad idea after all.

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