Experts: A snooze will do you good

Some experts say an afternoon nap can improve productivity.
By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ
HARTFORD COURANT
It's just before 1 p.m. at the Children's Place Day Care in Manchester, Conn., and already it's been a demanding day for this roomful of 4-year-olds.
They've gone over the word of the day (beautiful) and gathered around to hear a story. They bustled about during activity time, sat down to lunch and took in a half-hour showing of "Bob the Builder."
That's a jam-packed morning, and these kids are tuckered out.
So out come the plastic cots and down go the lights. Seventeen preschoolers crawl under fuzzy blankets, stuffed animals in tow.
Once teacher Sue Erardi makes the rounds, it isn't long before little chests heave rhythmically up and down and thumbs find their way into mouths.
"Those who nap tend to have a happier day from start to finish," Erardi whispers over the purr of snores and coughs.
It is a cozy, utterly tempting scene. So why is it that, if we're trained from young ages to indulge in midday catnaps, we abandon them in adulthood?
"The opportunity vanishes," says nap-time advocate Bill Anthony. He and his wife, Camille, have co-authored two books on the subject, the first being "The Art of Napping."
"There's a built-in opportunity in kindergarten because it's sanctioned. But it's not sanctioned anywhere else," Anthony says.
Urges naps
The Boston University professor argues that it should be. He cites studies that show midday power naps increase performance, focus and mood, and he's urging closet nappers everywhere to "lie down and be counted."
Sanctioned or not, a lot of secret napping is already going on in the workplace, Anthony says. A survey he conducted for the book shows 70 percent of respondents grab quick naps in their cars, in bathroom stalls, even under their desks.
In the frenzied, productivity-driven culture of the American workplace, the notion of napping is scoffed at as frivolous -- never mind that South American and Mediterranean countries have long sanctioned the siesta.
"People who nap are seen as malingerers, as slothful," Anthony says. Look no further than the language used to describe the practice of a 20-minute rest. We "steal" a nap. We "get caught" napping.
Through their National Napping Day campaign, the Anthonys have been promoting the benefits of afternoon shut-eye and encouraging workplaces to adopt nap-friendly policies.
"It's so foolish, the way our country has looked at napping," Anthony says. "We have science that says it increases mood and performance, and we have a workplace that won't let its employees nap."
Not enough sleep
A majority of people report they don't get enough sleep, and it's hurting corporate America's bottom line, says the National Sleep Foundation, which estimates that U.S. businesses lose at least $18 billion a year because of sleep-related sickness and sluggishness, time taken off, mistakes made and productivity slowed.
Aside from maintaining a healthy night sleep schedule, the foundation promotes naps of about 20 minutes for the drowsy. Citing studies that show napping boosts clarity and decreases the chances of injury, it encourages workplaces to adopt policies that cut down on fatigue -- well-lit offices, ample break times and nap-friendly spaces.
There are companies across the nation that support workplace napping, with some, including Yarde Metals in Bristol, Conn., even equipping offices with nap rooms. Still, such businesses are in the minority, and with workplace perks tapering off because of tighter budgets, chances of it catching on look slim.
Negative connotations
"There is a perception that if you're sleeping you're lazy or somehow not earning your money," says Peter Mills, chief medical officer at Vielife, an international consulting firm that helps improve corporate performance by designing health and well-being -- including sleep-related -- programs.
"In the last 10, 20 years, we're increasingly being asked as workers to work different hours, different shifts. We are a society on the go, 24/7," Mills says. "So it's a vicious cycle. We're not getting enough sleep and so we're therefore not productive. But just saying you have to work harder is not going to improve" performance.
Studies show that regular breaks from tasks are beneficial and that naps help people process and record information, Mills says. And just as our circadian rhythm makes us most conducive to slumber at night, the same clock puts us at optimal sleep time in midafternoon, when our body temperatures drop and we're physiologically primed for sleep.
He likens the afternoon nap to a coffee or lunch break, and if an employee chooses to spend that downtime with eyes closed and feet up, that should be supported, he says.
"I'm not suggesting that everyone have a little nap every day," says Mills. "But I am suggesting that if you do have a day where you had a bad night's sleep and you're just dog tired, it's probably best to just have a half-an-hour nap. Then for the rest of the day, you'll be able to deliver a higher productivity."
Sees drawbacks
Daniel McNally, director of the sleep disorders center at the University of Connecticut, agrees that naps can be a helpful tool for bleary-eyed workers. But he maintains the regular practice can be counterproductive. If taken at the wrong time of day, they can throw off a person's sleep schedule and cause a dependence on naps.
Instead, he recommends investing in a healthy night's sleep.
"I think most power nappers are sleep-deprived. They use naps to substitute," says McNally. "Naps should be viewed as a second-best alternative to getting a good night's sleep, a poor cousin if you will."
Back at the Children's Place, tempting as nap time is, Erardi says she could never indulge. A nap would only make her groggy.
On the other hand, she says, her husband swears by 15-minute power naps.