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Power Napping

In his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulgham advises, “Take a nap every afternoon.”  Many cultures embrace this philosophy.

An afternoon powernap can actually improve alertness and productivity in the workplace as many cultures who have long subscribed to “siesta time” already know. The rest of us have been slow to adopt the idea of napping on the job, although several professions, such as airline pilots and healthcare workers, actually encourage it, because of the consequences that could ensue if these workers are not alert at their jobs.

A team of Harvard researchers conducted a study to prove that napping helps the brain to process difficult tasks learned during the day. A group of volunteers were asked to complete a series of difficult tests. One third was not allowed to take a nap at all. One third was allowed to nap for 30 minutes and the last third was allowed an hour long nap.

All of the test-takers did their best early in the day. As expected, performance declined for those who did not nap at all, while it did not for those who took a 30 minute nap. Those who napped for an hour actually did better on post-nap test tasks than they did in those they did in late-morning.

Hopefully, the idea of the 30 minute “power nap” will soon become as widely accepted as the “coffee break” to refresh one’s mind… and spirit!