The latest studies have shown that the Afternoon Nap constitutes an important protection for the brain and helps to activate the mind and thus may improve the performance and productivity of employees, which prompted many experts and specialists to call for making naps part of the working day not only in order to provide comfort for workers, but also in order to improve their performance.
The British newspaper “The Guardian” published a report seen by “Al Arabiya.net”, in which it said that calls are mounting to make naps part of the official working hours, because it constitutes brain protection for adults, and because it keeps the employee active during his working hours and increases his ability to work, give and produce. .
According to the newspaper, great and great personalities were known to keep naps in the middle of the day, such as Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher, who is believed to have allocated a place to sleep inside her official car for a nap when she was Prime Minister in Britain.
According to a study published a few days ago, it was found that the usual nap is associated with a larger brain size in adults, as scientists suggested that this increases the possibility that practice provides some protection against neurodegeneration, and previous studies indicated that “a short rest period can improve people’s ability to on learning.”
Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global, said, “Given the latest science on the effectiveness of napping and the clear relationship between employee well-being and productivity, it is imperative that companies adopt short naps during work hours.”
Dr Matti Toma, associate professor in the Behavioral Sciences Group at Britain’s University of Warwick, said her own research among low-income urban workers in India found that a half-hour afternoon nap enhanced attention, well-being and productivity.
“Given the emerging evidence about the benefits of napping, not only for worker well-being but also for the company’s bottom line, companies should consider offering their employees the opportunity to take a nap,” Toma added.
Professor Sarah Mednick, of the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, agreed. “We are sleep-deprived people, which makes us more prone to work accidents, lower levels of creativity and focus, and higher levels of irritability,” she said.
She continued, “Companies that provide space to rest will reduce costs incurred from lost time and errors related to fatigue. It also gives senior officials the opportunity to identify different challenges and come up with top-down solutions that encourage workers to take care of themselves inside and outside work.”
And the “Guardian” says that some companies have already begun to provide facilities for employees to take a nap, as the company “Google” has provided incentives to sleep since 2014, and companies such as (Nike) and (Ben & Jerry) provide rooms for naps.
The NHS has also adopted this policy, with an increasing number of hospitals offering staff sleeping quarters in a bid to help them get more rest.
“I think our experience is that rested employees are more engaged and creative,” said Sean Greenwood of Ben & Jerry’s.
