Listen up leaders, I understand that sleeping on the job is never a good idea. But taking a regular break once a day and napping is a positive practice and every leader should encourage it.
Of course napping is not convenient for most of us. But wise leaders understand the power and benefits of naps. Did you know that humans are one of the only species to take their sleep all in one shot? It hasn’t always been that way though.
The Romans would take naps each day at Noon. Countries such as Spain used the siesta as a napping tradition (but that has died with the go-go-go philosophy of the modern world). Did you know that Leonardo DaVinci, Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were all ardent nappers?
If you are a napper, then congratulations, you are already reaping some of important benefits of napping. If you aren’t, then I encourage you to carefully and seriously consider doing so for the following reasons:
1. Naps Increase Alertness and Productivity – You have probably had that dragging feeling where you couldn’t keep your eye-lids open. We cannot do our best work when we can’t prevent our eyes from shutting. NASA showed in a study that a nap increases alertness by 100%. More alertness results in better productivity for everyone.
2. Naps Are Healthy – Naps are shown to reduce the risk of heart disease in working men by as much as 64% as one study showed.
3. Naps Prevent Burnout – There’s nothing like the feeling of recharging your batteries. Most people refrain from taking naps because they feel they have too much to do. But taking the time to nap can actually increase your energy dramatically and give you more needed oomph later on into the afternoon or early evening.
4. Naps Improve Mood – It has been shown that napping bathes our brains in the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin produces feelings of well-being. Stress blocks the production of serotonin, while it’s use increases. This creates feelings of being overwhelmed, irritable and easily distracted.
So, join me in taking more naps to improve production and health.
Note: Experts recommend 10-30 minute naps. Anything over that might leave you feeling groggy and less motivated.
Check out this video on “The Scientific Power of Naps.”
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