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Take Naps at Work

nytimes.com

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Re: Take Naps at Work

#141

Post by yomly »

laumars wrote: post #138
yomly wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 herit…

I cannot comment about Asian culture but conditioning does have a large part to play in how people sleep. Personal anecdote: when I grew up my parents lived on a busy main road so I was used to sleeping in noisy conditions. I then moved to a quiet village - I love how silent it is on a night - but I now cannot sleep in hotels nor anywhere else unless it's absolutely silent.

Agreed, I am comfortable (almost too much so) sleeping anywhere.

They say in the army, your survival is predicated on being able to catch a wink wherever possible.

As for sleeping in quiet places, one thing I've noticed is that my tinnitus is only audible when I am not in a city, as such there have been times where I remember I have tinnitus and am temporarily unable to sleep because of it.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#142

Post by vidarh »

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.

Try to practice mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness in Plain English [1] is a good resource. For starters it is relaxing in itself, and will teach you to relax faster, but if you practice with eyes clothes in a chair or on a couch instead of sitting in a traditional pose, and you're actually in need of sleep, it's easy to drift off unless you actively try not to.

The book has a number of pieces of advice to avoid sleeping - if your aim is to nap rather than meditate, just do the opposite. E.g. part of the point of a traditional meditation pose is to create alertness (sit up straight, lift your head etc.) in part to avoid falling asleep.

Sometimes I want to stay awake and pay attention to pose etc. Sometimes I like to use the breathing etc. to have a quick nap, and instead will sit in a relaxed position, rest my head. I find it's made a big difference in how quickly I fall asleep - I now associate certain positions with "fall asleep ASAP" and certain positions with "clear your mind and stay focused", and automatically fall into certain patterns when I prepare accordingly.

[1] http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

Re: Take Naps at Work

#143

Post by robbiep »

vldx wrote: post #70
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.

For anyone interested -- this model is called Wake therapy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_therapy https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fighting-depressi... > In the new study, published online January 15 in the journal Translational Psychiatry, the scientists investigated whether this process is responsible for the antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation. Mice with depressivelike symptoms were admini…

Interesting, as Modafinil has (one of many) mechanisms of action of reuptaking intracellular adenosine; and is also a mild anti-depressant

Re: Take Naps at Work

#144

Post by mpfundstein »

bcoughlan wrote: post #101
have_faith wrote: post #92

>Sleeping on the job is one of those workplace taboos — like leaving your desk for lunch What kind of company is it a taboo to leave your desk for lunch?

Here's a quote from a "day in the life" sheet I was sent after a phone interview with Susquehanna. I didn't continue with the job interview for this very reason: "SIG partners with external caterers to provide a buffet lunch of main courses, salads, soup, and dessert, and it changes on daily basis. So you grab a plate and head back to your desk to eat; it will give you some time to catch up on the latest tech and mar…

software improvement group?

Re: Take Naps at Work

#145

Post by agumonkey »

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…

I knew a guy who refused to take a nap. Even if it costed him an afternoon of fighting gravity, trying to stay awake browsing websites and feeling utter guilt for wasting the whole afternoon. To him, napping was morally wrong, period. Something I can understand to a poing, if one guy allows himself to sleep while others are sweating it's bad. But he could nap 20 minutes, and enjoy creativity/productivity for hours and even stay 20 min longer (at the same hourly rate) after to pay back his employer so the numbers check out.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#146

Post by xyzzy4 »

Scarblac wrote: post #63
yokisan wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It seems like if you're so tired while you're at work that you actually want to take a nap, then maybe there is another underlying problem. There is: tiredness. Often, but not always, due to lack of sleep. A nap is the solution. If you need 8 glasses of water a day to be at peak-performance but for whatever reason only manage to drink 7 in the morning, why not have that final glass sometime during the day? Same wit…

But it's not normal for adults to sleep so badly that you need naps during the day, apart from having very young kids. So other than that I'd say there may well be an underlying problem.

Offices are much less natural than afternoon naps.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#147

Post by agumonkey »

themodelplumber wrote: post #38
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…

> 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…

I don't know why but the minute I get horizontal my imagination wakes up.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#148

Post by oneeyedpigeon »

> Naps at work can make you more productive. Maybe don’t be this obvious about it, though.

That image caption sums up the prevailing attitude for me, really: don't be obvious that you're being more productive, especially if it goes against the grain. Better to toe the line and be less productive. There are many examples of the same phenomenon, beyond just napping.

Re: Take Naps at Work

#149

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

Re: Take Naps at Work

#150

Post by KekDemaga »

jononor wrote: post #120
yomly wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think CO and CO2 are what I'm thinking of. Maybe if you sat in your car in the garage...?

CO and CO2 produced by the engine is going to come out of the exhaust at the back. Your AC will take in air from the front of the car. In a parking lot or other well ventilated areas, I don't see a big cause for concern.

Also modern cars produce orders of magnitude less emissions its actually somewhat difficult to kill yourself with one now, you essentially have to run a hose from the tailpipe to the cabin.
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