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Sleeping on the job

Scott Birdby Scott Bird | November 26, 2006
Filed in Articles , Favourites , Sleep

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MetroNaps pod‘Let’s go siesta / In your Ford Fiesta’

Elastica, Car Song

Today’s Sunday Life magazine (part of the Sun-Herald newspaper) has an interesting piece on power-napping - Sleeping on the job. This looks at the benefits of a 10-20 minute nap in the afternoon, as part of a regular work schedule.

According to the author Thea O’Connor, State Street Australia recently trialled pod-style napping (using pods such as the MetroNap) for a month; with a very positive response from staff. Of those that booked themselves in for a nap, 43% said that they felt ‘good’ afterwards and 21% felt ‘excellent’. As great as these pods look (straight from 2001: A Space Odyssey), I can’t help thinking that they’re an expensive way of kicking your shoes off and lying down for 10-20 minutes. A nap can be a wonderful thing, regardless of your environment.

The article also mentions some interesting research currently being carried out by Professor Leon Lack at Adelaide’s Flinders University. Prof. Lack has compared 5,10,20 and 30 minute naps - measuring such things as sleepiness, reaction time and cognitive performance immediately afterward. In many ways, the 10 minute nap seems to be the ‘power-napping’ champion.

A final word from media manager Harry M Miller, himself a regular napper.

Napping is a great idea. It’s a kind of traffic control that slows down your brain.

At least for a while.

Further reading

Napping Project
Thea O’Connor

Self-confessed ‘napping activist’ Thea O’Connor is certainly helping to change the corporate mindset in many parts of the world. Through her writing, speeches and consultancy work, Thea is bringing the power of the nap one step closer to many.

Newspaper articles

Links to numerous articles by Professor Lack and others at Flinders University’s School of Psychology, Sleep Research Laboratory.


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