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Take Naps at Work

nytimes.com

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Re: Take Naps at Work

#91

Post by freeflight »

eloisant wrote: post #83
freeflight wrote: post #78

I'm really envious of people who are actually able to take naps because it just doesn't work for me. By the time I actually "phase out", for which I need at least like 20-30 minutes, most of my lunch break would already be over, resulting in me waking up all groggy and irritated.

Being able to sleep anytime, anywhere is basically something you can train to. When you do, it's extremely powerful to stay alert. As a starter you don't have to make actual naps, just close your eyes and rest for a few minutes.

Everytime I try that it leads to the same outcome: By the time I relax I feel so good about that state that I'm just pissed off when I'm forced out of it, so I don't even want to get there in the first place.

You maybe know about any good online resources for nap training?

Re: Take Naps at Work

#93

Post by yomly »

samsonradu wrote: post #68
beilabs wrote: post #57

When I worked in China (5000 engineer company) we'd have our lunch in the canteen, I found that many returned to their desk for the last 15 minutes of their lunch break. Out came the pillows, all lights were dimmed and calming music played through the PA system. No-one spoke, made noise during this time; quick power nap of 15 minutes did the trick for a lot of people. Definitely something I approve of; I've a small m…

Curious if you were able to do the same? From what I've seen asians have this ability to pretty much sleep anywhere , planes, trains, buses anything. The crappy chairs and noisy engines don't seem to bother them. I don't think I could ever fall asleep in the lunch break, the morning coffee and the light outside doesn't let my brain go off. EDIT I really don't mean to offend anyone, just curious whether the ability to…

One thing I've noticed is that people in the UK are way more considerate about and sensitive to noise whereas the opposite is true to Asians.

Go to China and the level of ambient noise is much higher, whether that is people talking louder or having no qualms playing music from their phone speakers at any time of the day.

So at a guess, I think that cultural conditions probably lend themselves to people of Asian heritage learning to sleep under noisier conditions. Of course, these are all anecdata and generalisations so ymmv - fwiw, my personal observations are somewhat in line with yours.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#94

Post by niuzeta »

drrob wrote: post #54
themodelplumber wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My most productive, creative time was the hour or two in the late afternoon following the nap. This has also been my experience. I often take naps around the same time and find that the nap calms me naturally and sort of distances me from any anxieties surrounding a problem I'm trying to tackle. This makes it much easier to work at it some more. Separately I noticed that if I have any symptoms of depression (usuall…

Incidentally, one of the (many) recommended none pharma treatments to depression is to stay awake for one night (don't go to bed at all), then go to bed the next night as usual (similar to jetlag prevention strategies I suppose). The idea is that the extreme tiredness when you do go to sleep resets your circadian rhythms and ensures deep rest. I've tried it, and it does kinda help.

How do you resist not sleeping the next day? I know I would be exhausted the afternoon with little capacity for rational thought, and likely pass out by 7-8 PM, ruining the attempt.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#95

Post by w458cmau »

wereHamster wrote: post #18
rectang wrote: post #13

For the last 8 years at work, I napped for 12-40 minutes basically every afternoon. I headed out into the parking lot and slept in the back of my car. (I bought the model I own after testing to make sure the back was nappable.) My most productive, creative time was the hour or two in the late afternoon following the nap. All my co-workers knew the deal and so did my boss. Nobody else napped, but my napping was normal…

If your boss and coworkers new about it, why didn't they provide you with space inside the building to take naps? It's stupid having to walk outside and nap in your car. Google has special quiet rooms where people can go take naps and relax during the day.

Providing a quiet, disruption-free and hygienic environment for employees to sleep in seems like quite the commitment to make. I'm all for it, and can just the same understand why it would not happen in most environments.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#96

Post by w458cmau »

yomly wrote: post #86
hueving wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars consume very limited amounts of fuel idling so you shouldn't feel guilt for that anymore than you should feel guilt for driving to a restaurant on the way home.

For some reason my brain thinks it's dangerous to run the AC when the car is stationary. I don't think this is the case and I'm complecting it with something else - is anyone able to shed some light?

How do you think it is dangerous? ACs do not emit any gases themselves, so except for the CO2 produced by the engine to keep it running it should not be dangerous.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#97

Post by innopreneur »

In India, this seems to be common in households. You would find family members taking an hour or so nap after lunch. Even during festivals or occasions, host arranges nap session for guests. Though it is seen as unprofessional in offices. Until few years ago I used to think those people as lazy and unproductive but now perspective seems to be changing.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#100

Post by throwanem »

niuzeta wrote: post #94
drrob wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Incidentally, one of the (many) recommended none pharma treatments to depression is to stay awake for one night (don't go to bed at all), then go to bed the next night as usual (similar to jetlag prevention strategies I suppose). The idea is that the extreme tiredness when you do go to sleep resets your circadian rhythms and ensures deep rest. I've tried it, and it does kinda help.

How do you resist not sleeping the next day? I know I would be exhausted the afternoon with little capacity for rational thought, and likely pass out by 7-8 PM, ruining the attempt.

Passing out by 7 or 8 is rather the point - you sleep a long time and deeply after the sleepless night, waking up with your head in a better place.

I can attest somewhat to the efficacy of the practice; in younger days I did it myself on occasion, and found it often to have the beneficial effect described upthread - as well as, on the day after the sleepless night, an interesting and generally useful upsurge of sidewise and creative thought that tended to produce ideas I could capture and usefully follow up on later, after the sleepful second night.

On the other hand, younger days being now behind me, I'm no longer able to miss a night's sleep and remain awake, much less productive, on the day following. So it goes.

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