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Be Healthy and More Productive at Work – Take a Nap

If your boss caught you sleeping at your desk a few years ago, you surely would have been fired. But getting in trouble for catching zzz’s at work may soon be the thing of the past. While most of us rely on artificial stimulants like caffeine to power us through the day, experts say that what we really need to recharge our minds is a good nap. Some industries and big companies such as Nike, Google, Ben and Jerry’s and Zappos.com encourage their workers to simply ….nap.

Mark Rosekind, a former scientist at NASA, and now Founder and President of Alertness Solutions, a company creating “fatigue management” solutions, claims that a 15-minute afternoon nap increases our productivity by 35 percent, creativity by 40 percent and the ability to make decisions by as much as 50 percent. On top of that, afternoon naps also significantly decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease, especially in men.

The authors of the largest ever study of this phenomenon discussed this two years ago in the Journal of Archives of Internal Medicine. The study was conducted over about six years on a group of 23,681 adult Greeks-mostly over the age of 50. People who took at least three 30 minute naps a week had 37 percent lower risk of death due to heart or other cardiovascular problems than in those who slept only at night.

It is worth noting that a siesta during the day belongs to the normal practice in many countries in southern Europe. So far, experts believed that the low incidence of heart disease in those countries is a consequence of the Mediterranean diet. Although the study also takes into account factors such as diet, physical activity, smoking habits and other factors related to the circulatory system, it still seems that napping at work has a beneficial effect.

In conclusion, companies benefit from having workers who are healthy, rested and focused. Those who may still oppose the idea of letting their employees nap on company’s time well, perhaps they will change their mind if they just sleep on it?

Share your feedback in the comments below.

By Agnieszka

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

5 Things you need to know in order to get a good night’s sleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep is vital for maintaining our health and well being. Sleep allows us to function better in our daily lives and also serves a variety of purposes from restorative purposes to memory processing. That said, we’ve probably all had times when we’ve found it difficult to sleep, and many people suffer recurring sleep problems or even primary insomnia. So what can we do to get a good night’s sleep?

Of course, there are many over-the-counter remedies available to help you combat sleeplessness, but there are also plenty of tried and tested methods to help ensure that you get the best sleep you can get.

Stress: By far and away one of the most common causes of temporary or longer term insomnia is stress. Worrying about something and having an overly active mind can impinge on our ability to get a good night’s sleep.
There are a number of ways to combat stress, and many of them depend on the kind of stress you are suffering from. Most physicians recommend keeping a notepad by the bed to write down any worries before bed.

Exercise: is a great way to encourage sleep since by working your muscles and making them tired you can induce sleepiness by increasing your body’s need for rest. If you find it hard to sleep, try taking a brisk walk or going for a bicycle ride in the evening before bed. Raising your overall level of activity, especially if you lead a fairly sedentary life, will also help your longer term sleeping patterns, as well as having positive effects on your health!

Relaxation: It may sound almost contrary to the above, but relaxation should also be an important part of your daily life. If you’re someone who’s “on the go” all the time, you might find it hard to relax when it comes to bed time because your mind is still busy with the day’s events. Wind down in the evenings by reading a book before bed, taking a warm bath or even practicing slow stretching and deep breathing exercises.

Avoid caffeine, not just before bedtime, but also large quantities of caffeine during the day. Not only does the stimulant effect of caffeine in drinks such as coffee, tea or energy drinks keep you awake for longer, but caffeine also reduces your ability to get good quality sleep. Light, fitful sleep is almost as bad as not having any sleep at all.

Quality of bed: A good quality, comfortable bed and supportive pillows can make all the difference too and can stop you feeling achy and tired the next morning. Make sure that you have some thick blackout curtains to shut out the light, especially in summertime when the evenings are light – after all, it’s just as important to prepare your sleeping environment for a good night’s sleep as well as preparing your body.

Cole Watts writes on behalf of Golden Rest beds one of the largest online suppliers of adjustable beds,

When You Sleep – Where Does Your Body Go?

Guest Post by Genevieve who works in affiliation with Universal Health Services, Inc which has a variety of healthcare management companies.

Sleep walking is not at all unusual for children and young adults and mostly disappears with age. Minor sleep walking is no problem in children. They are safely locked in their house and any actions they may take are often instantly counteracted by the adults in the house. But what if you are one of the individuals who continue to sleep walk into adulthood? And what if you live by yourself?

I am one of those adults. The sleepwalking I engage in is entirely harmless and pointless and really does not require any sort of sleep therapy, but can actually cause a series of small annoying problems if not controlled. No matter how many times I double check my alarm clock before I go to bed, it is frequently turned off and occasionally turned to another time entirely when I wake. “Put it across the room,” you say? I will simple walk across the room to make the change.

For those who have digital dexterity while sleeping, sometimes moving an alarm clock across the room or programming more than one is enough. If you still manage to sabotage your wake up, using a phone or computer are options. These devices are far more difficult to change without being aware enough to go through several menus and pressing specific buttons. If you are worried about cold dialing your friends in the middle of the night, using a touch screen device can work magic. Not only do you have to select the right button, but you have to do it without any tactile clues! If you are not interested in purchasing electronics, look into getting a wakeup call service.

Sleepwalkers often engage in the most common behaviors they perform each day. For most people, eating occurs many times each day. A small snack probably isn’t harmful, but it is never fun to wake up to find your refrigerator has been open all night and there are crumbs on the counters and floor. If you find yourself making the occasional foray to the kitchen, consider placing the items you most frequently go for in multiple bags, preferably ones that make noise. Making sure that your refrigerator doors swings all the way closed without help can save on replacing perishables. Child locks on cupboards and drawers are a great way to prevent unconscious snacking.

Most of the problems caused by sleepwalking can be easily contained with a few small precautions. If you are prone to leaving your house, over eating or any number of more serious behaviors, it may benefit you to go to a sleep therapy center and see if they can provide any options.