Do Power Naps At Work Improve Job Productivity: Insights

The world just saw World Sleep Day and observed it globally and they raised some important questions and appalling statistics in terms of global sleep patterns. But let’s first address the basic question: Why do we observe World Sleep Day?

World Sleep Day is an annually celebrated occasion which is a call to action for the world to stress upon the benefits of healthy sleeping. This is the day people are asked to take a minute and think of the various burdens of unhealthy sleep patterns.

In a country where 93% of Indians are sleep deprived, getting less than 8 hours of sleep, daily education around the importance of healthy sleep patterns is imperative.

When it comes to our workforce, studies prove that 58% of people believe that their work suffers due to lack of adequate sleep out of which 11% take leave from work because of lack of sleep. It is not a very good sign to say that 11% of our workforce have fallen asleep at work due to a poor night’s sleep and 38% witnessed a colleague falling asleep at work

These factors are surely affecting productivity and hence affecting growth.

So that brings us to another question: Can quick power naps at work improve productivity?

While on one hand, an average adult should get 7-9 hours of sleep, we are able to complete only 6. This lack of proper sleep is starting to affect people physically as they tend to be a lot more lethargic and tired, mentally as they are so exhausted that they lose their ability to think clearly with a fresh mind and emotionally as they become cranky by nature and start to affect their relationships.

Some of the biggest benefits of taking a power nap would be, improved working memory, better performance, and reduced anxiety and depression, among a host of other advantages.

How can businesses support this?
To start with, companies should lay down strict rules on the duration of the power nap. A power nap ranging between 10-30 minutes is deal. Any longer than that often lets the person go into deeper sleep.

Secondly, companies should have designated areas for people to nap at like sleep pods, or couches or even an unused room. Often many growing organizations also choose to allow their employees to take a quick nap at their desks or even cars.

With such practices in place, organizations can truly improve productivity and contribute significantly to employee retention.