Does a siesta improve work performance?

Monday, July 3, 2006

Can we learn from the Spaniards and the Mexicans? Are there any real benefits attached to taking a nap after lunch on a work day?
	Many of us suffer from the mid-afternoon work slump and would love a quick nap. The theory goes that by taking a power nap, you will lift your energy and concentration levels, which will make you a more efficient worker. Napping at work might not be acceptable in our country, but the siesta has been a popular Mexican tradition for centuries. An afternoon kip is not only acceptable practice, they think you're a little odd if you don't take one. Ask any Mexican and they'll tell you a siesta is not only good for you but it'll make you a more productive worker.
So are the Mexicans right? Is there actually any benefit to sleeping on the job?

Helen and Rebecca have volunteered to test the siesta theory. First, they are put through a test to check their levels of attentiveness and concentration.
	The test simply involves a gadget that measures their alertness in milliseconds. Once a target pops up on the screen, they hit the button — the lower the number that pops up, the sharper their alertness. In the 'before' test, both Helen and Rebecca scored average reaction times of 350 milliseconds.
Afterwards, they are then put to bed for 20 minutes. Hopefully they'll each be able to get 10 minutes sleep during that time. After they get up, they will then be put through the same attentiveness and concentration test to see if their performance has improved at all. Participant Helen doesn't think the naps will make much difference. In fact she thinks as she's usually grumpy after waking up, the test may make her worse.

	First test: The girls reacted at an average of 350 milliseconds on the first test. Second test: The girls showed an improved reaction time — an average of 200 milliseconds.

Therefore it is true, a nap after lunch can improve your performance. There is a wealth of evidence and research to support the validity of this claim. Napping is a very effective way of combating fatigue and lifting productivity in the work place. Only 15 minutes can lift someone's performance and concentration levels greatly.
	"We actually have a dip in our core body temperature rhythm after lunch and that coincides with the sleep patch we have after lunch. And that happens even if we don't eat anything at lunchtime. So we're physiologically programmed to slow things down in the early afternoon," says Adelaide-based sleep researcher, Dr Sally Ferguson. So, it is no surprise then that over 60 percent of workers are actually sleep deprived. Most other animals on the planet nap and humans have not evolved past this basic need.
People are not getting nearly enough sleep at night and it's causing us to be less effective at work and bringing with it a whole host of health problems, which ultimately can lead to increased costs for businesses. New York entrepreneur Arshad Chowdury has come up with the ultimate corporate kip — nap pods for rent.
	"For the last 50 years in the western world we've been working longer hours and sleeping less every single year. This is the trend that's not going anywhere and something has to give," says Arshad. If you nap for more than 20 minutes during the day, you'll slip into the deep sleep cycle, which means it'll take you longer to recover so a nap pod is designed to induce faster sleep by recalling your favourite nap settings, from music to contour preferences. By the time you freshen up after your nap, you'll be in and out in just 30 minutes.
According to Arshad, one in three Americans nap and he thinks this holds true for much of the western world. Therefore if we are given the opportunity to take a nap during the workday, one in three of us would choose to. He says, it's things like work culture that actually prevents us from doing so. Nap pods are making their way to Australia.

Just while Australia is in the beginning stages of embracing cat naps, the very notion of the siesta is being challenged in the most unlikely place. Movements are afoot to make daytime napping illegal in the very countries in which siestas originated: Spain and Mexico. Studies have shown that one hour of extra sleep can actually make you a better driver. Canadian researchers have found that when clocks were put back at the end of daylight saving, there was a fall in the number of road accidents. People can take cat naps with their eyes open without even being aware of it. Only medical supervision can determine whether someone is really awake or asleep. The continuous brain recordings that led to the discovery of REM (rapid eye-movement) sleep were not done until 1953, partly because the scientists involved were concerned about wasting paper. Humans sleep on average around three hours less than other primates like chimps, rhesus monkeys, squirrel monkeys and baboons, all of whom sleep for 10 hours.