According to a recent article in the New York Times, it’s okay to take a little nap during the day. In fact, some experts encourage people to make daily napping as regular a part of their routine as heading out to the gym to workout. As stated in the article:
But many people, and experts, praise the benefits of a siesta or a power snooze. Confessed nappers include Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison and Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
Napping, writes James B. Maas, a Cornell University sleep expert, “should have the status of daily exercise.”
Well hey, if Reagan, Clinton, Edison, and Einstein were doing it – then maybe we should all be taking naps more regularly!
Taking more naps is one of those things that you have to be disciplined at if you really want it to make an impact. If you lay down for a quick 30 or 60 minute nap, then you absolutely must wake up at the end of that time period and get back to work. If you don’t, then you may run the risk of not being able to perform at an acceptable level for the rest of the day. Lord knows that when I take a nap sometimes I wind up dragging ass afterwards. It’s not fun.
Plus, in my napping experience it seems that if I sleep for an extra hour during the day, then I toss and turn in bed at night for an additional hour. That’s not fun and it’s a useless waste of time.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that napping during the middle of the day suits me right now. Maybe when I’m less busy and there is less on my plate I can give it a try, but for now I’ll stick to working my butt off during the day so I can have a restful sleep at night.
Actually, according to some studies, a 26 minutes nap will increase employees performances with 34%.
http://blog.cyclope-series.com/2009/08/a-26-minutes-nap-will-increase-productivity-by-34/