I don't think I could physically fall asleep at work. Are people really this tired while they're at their offices? 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.
This is not about being "tired". It's about resetting your nervous system which for different people works differently. I often think about it as about a distinction between sprinters vs. marathon runners. Some people have biological predispositions to perform better in one of those.
I don't think that making any type of generalisations (eg. "people shouldn't be that tired") makes much sense.
I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be allowed where I work. Even though it's an US company, it's being led by Germans and in some offices they will already complain if you eat too long. "Take Naps at Work. Apologize to No One." would be a pretty dangerous statement there.
> Even though it's an US company
It always amazes me when someone just assumes that US companies are somehow superior to the rest of the world. I've worked for a couple of US based companies and the experience was shit compared to other non-US companies I worked for.
I'm generally a lot more productive when I'm hungry. Eating, for me, leads to lethargy.
I once read something about Julius Caesar being trained never to eat until satiated. Can't find it now. Granted maybe that's why he's now named after a salad.
I think there's a Japanese saying about stopping you're 4/5ths full, and there are other sayings like "tie off the sack before it's full," etc. I have been trying it recently and I definitely feel less lethargic in general, especially after lunch, but after dinner too.
I've regularly taken naps at lunch too and found they make a big difference to afternoon productivity. I've found walking also has a similar effects, especially on grass. I normally do one or the other depending on how well I slept the night before.
How long do people find most effective? I've found either 12 min or 30 min to be best for me. 30 min if I'm particularly tired, 12 min if not. If I go longer than 12 I get foggy for around 30 min after.
Better: eat less lunch. Ever since I've started having no more than a moderate bowl of low-cal (not "diet", just not "vitamix'd pizza") soup, the second half of the day is just as productive as the first. If I eat enough for a food coma, I go home; I'd provide no useful anything for the rest of the day, nap or no, so no sense hiding it by merely being around.
I do both nowadays but completely agree. I started drinking Huel for breakfast and lunch around 8 months ago and the difference in energy levels when I only have 500 calories (exactly weighed out) is huge. Every month or so I go out for lunch then proceed to regret it for the rest of the day.
>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?
My company does this thing where all of the people in IT go out to get food together in sync, and then bring it back and eat in the conference room like it's a cafeteria and like they're back in school.
I'm the only person who leaves the office during my lunch hour, alone. I get funny looks, and my coworkers sometimes ask me "where have you been?"
It's a weird company culture and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to put up with it.
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.
If you could help me and 25% of everyone [1] figure out that underlying problem, we would be super grateful! [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/articles/sleepd...
I was going to argue that that article itself lists a number of underlying problems and what can be done about them, but that number is much higher than I expected and clearly there are many people who just don't sleep well during the night.
>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…
"catch up on the latest tech and market news on the net as you eat"
That probably does describe a lot of my lunches. However, that is my choice. If an employer explicitly expected me to spend my lunches doing that I'd soon be an ex-employee.
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…
There's nothing about "asian" genetics that causes this, but my experience in Taiwan, China, and Japan showed me that people in those countries typically don't get 8 hours of sleep every night, more like 5-6. It's ubiquitous, so do it your whole life and you get good at functioning with less sleep than it has been demonstrated humans need, and you also get good at making up the difference with turbo power naps.