Naps could replace coffee as workers? favorite break

The idea of napping on the job seems the very opposite of our American work ethic, but in reality, it may be just what we need.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that we tend to feel sleepy between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. due to a drop in body temperature. The everyday stress we feel from our jobs may be alleviated by taking a 15- to 20-minute nap to restore alertness, memory and curb the effects of fatigue.

The idea of taking afternoon naps is now piquing the business world?s curiosity. P.M. Clary, the head of a sleep and productivity consultant?s firm called Powernap, is taking his afternoon nap philosophy to the companies. Businesses ask Clary?s team to evaluate the productivity of the staff and recommend how to improve efficiency. His ideas on sleep and work effectiveness began to attract attention while still working as a top official at 42 IS, a California information systems firm. In that job, he said it became obvious that 42 IS employees needed rest to meet the demands of clients and managers. Clary also helped 42 IS create a sleeping loft complete with queen-size bed, pillows and blankets.

'You have to take care of people,' Clary says. 'Anyone who says they couldn?t use a nap is not being honest.'

While corporations? growing acceptance of naps is good news for those who fight the urge to take a late-day snooze, Joyce Walsleben, PhD, of the New York University Medical Center/Sleep Disorder Center cautions that napping longer than half an hour can ruin the restorative sleep we seek.

'Once you nap longer than 30 minutes, we begin to enter our normal sleep cycle,' said Walsleben. 'We wake up feeling groggier and disoriented.'

?M. Waters