So, your day at work is going pretty average, your productivity is nowhere in sight and there’s a huge pile of incomplete tasks with deadlines that you can almost hear whooshing pass by. In situations like these, what is the first thing that you would blame? Stress, workload or the fact that your brain didn’t get the well-deserved rest last night?
The human brain is an incredible machine. It functions 24×7 without resting for even a fraction of a second. Whether it is helping you remember your favorite memory from childhood, or those calculus problems that your teacher made you solve in high-school, it is remarkable how the human brain works. But, hasn’t it ever occurred to you that this piece of human organ that functions nothing less than an automated hardware needs rest sometimes?
Of course, it needs rest! Sometimes, we all get too worked up about things at work that we end up taking our own rest for granted. Of course, no one is suggesting you compromise on meeting your deadlines, but try and cut yourself some slack, will you? Did you know a tired, sleep-deprived brain can never function right? Sleep deprivation affects workplace productivity and concentration, so if you’ve been having poor concentration at work, then maybe this was the reason.
Not quite sure as to why ‘napping at work’ is considered a stigma (looks into the invisible camera in confusion). Google – the giants of the tech giants, the Robert Downey Jr. of the technology companies, and the crème de la crème of workplaces, has sleep pods for its employees. The beds are state-of-the-art napping chambers that emit Pac-Man kind of vibe, with a built-in sound system. Yes, yes, we get it, it’s making you drool too! But if you look beyond how cute the nap pods look, you’ll realize that if Google can prioritize employees’ mental health, then why can’t the rest of the organizations do that?
What Do Workplaces Think Of ‘Napping’?
Napping at work, first of all, should not be considered as a stigma. It is a basic right of all employees. Whether it is a government employee, a construction worker or a tech worker, putting the brain on a ‘sleep’ mode for an hour or so, can be enough to keep the rest of the day productive. However, among the aforementioned employees, the ones that work for the government (specifically for the US government), have found themselves in hot waters lately. In November 2019, the US government issued a notice, banning employees from taking a nap during duty hours.
Napping at work is often blamed on ‘less or no work.’ However, employees that fall asleep at work, might be doing so because their body and mind are not getting enough rest. Since employees have to do a lot of critical thinking, not getting enough rest due to stressful and tiring work conditions can eventually lead to sleep deficiency and several other disorders.
Why is Taking a Nap at Work, Actually Good?
Naps are powerful little things that are packed with many benefits. Some of those benefits are listed below:
- Naps are best for giving our mental system a reboot. When you nap, you restore the functionality of your brain and it instantly becomes more alert and demonstrates better performance, so there are reduced chances for errors.
- When your mind is tensed and sleep-deprived, then productivity begins to get blurry. So, besides using a reliable AT&T internetconnection to listen to songs and stay awake, try taking a nap.
- A stressed mind can never focus on work. Therefore, whenever you feel that your work has overwhelmed you too much and your focus is beginning to shake, then pause everything that you’re doing and catch up on some Z’s. If you’re afraid that you might have to face consequences of napping at work, then it’s okay to just take some time off and go out for a refreshing stroll.
- When your mind is tired, you might’ve noticed it wandering off to a remote location in Baku. That’s okay, you can bring it back to its place by taking a quick power-nap. Naps can clear your head from all distractions, so you can focus on your work better.
- A sleepy mind can never memorize new things, let alone try to remember what you already know. So, if your mind is not fetching data as quickly as it should, then try and nap for a while. Naps hold the power of improving memory and allow you to learn new things, in a jiffy.
- And lastly, naps induce creativity. Allow us to explain this to you in a more elaborate manner. You know that your brain is divided into right and left hemispheres, right? The right hemisphere is where all the creativity takes place and the left hemisphere is where all the typical calculations happen. When you nap, your right side of the brain gets a chance to get into its creative zone and the flow of ideas becomes seemingly better.
How Can You Avoid Getting Caught Taking A Nap?
Managing to escape through a nap situation at work requires a lot of luck. So, if you don’t want to get caught for sneaking a nap at work, then simply:
- Set an alarm
- Don’t put your phone on silent
- Don’t nap where people can see you – as simple as that!
So What Did We Learn?
Naps are the last thing that workplaces should think of tossing in the ‘stigma’ bin. Workplaces need to realize the importance of mental well-being of their employees. It doesn’t matter how badly these workplaces want their numbers to grow, if they’re not considerate about mental well-being of their employees, then they might as well just hire robots in place of humans.