To nap or not to nap?

In the past napping at work was a quick way to get fired but now some organisations are starting to consider whether ‘taking a nap’ should be part of the working day.

The average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep a night to achieve optimal health but many people don’t get anywhere near that with Nuffield Health’s 2023 ‘Healthier Nation Index’ (a survey of 8,000 UK adults) highlighting that, on average, we’re only getting 5.91 hours of sleep a night, down from 6.11 in 2022 and 6.19 in 2021. This discrepancy positions insufficient sleep as one of today’s pressing health issues.

In the workplace, whilst we might think that powering through the day without breaks is the most effective way to work, it’s actually counterintuitive to health and to productivity. We’re actually wired to take time to recharge through ultradian rhythms with our brains actually achieving maximum productivity when we follow 90 minutes of work with 20 minutes of a recharging activity - something like yoga or mindfulness, or just something as simple as taking a nap.

Around 3% of GDP is lost each year due to sleep deprivation, so offering employees the opportunity to recharge with a nap during the day could not only help to improve their physical and mental health but could also see them contributing more. Research shows well-rested employees are better cognitively and this includes essential work functions such as learning, decision-making, attention to detail and memory recall.

Of course, creating a napping policy would take some commitment and resources and the idea of “sleeping on the job” is still anathema to most companies. But if you want your team to be at the top of their game then maybe giving them the opportunity to have scheduled naps could mean improved mental wellbeing, increased employee performance and productivity and perhaps even a way to attract and retain top talent.