Sleeping on the job 上班时间打小盹能提高工作效率

Sleeping on the job 上班时间打小盹能提高工作效率

2014年8月18日

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f Vocabulary: sleep 词汇: 睡觉

I love sleeping. It's something I'm good at. There's nothing better than nodding off on the sofa in front of the TV and when my head hits the pillow at night, I have no problem falling into a deep sleep within minutes. There is one place where I never snooze and that's at work - but new research suggests I should!

The idea of you and your colleagues heading off for a lie down in the afternoon may seem odd, but some companies such as Google and the Huffington Post actually encourage it.

This isn't because their employees are insomniacs– people who struggle to get to sleep at night – but because it's thought that a power-nap makes them more refreshed and more alert, and this in turn makes them more productive. But will this idea catch on?

An Australian health writer called Thea O'Connor is a founder of a campaign called Nap Now which is trying to make sleeping at work more acceptable. She calls herself a 'naptivist'! She says: "I think that our culture is a bit crazy not to embrace it… it's time to disrupt the prevailing work ethic which is all about working longer and harder."

So should we all be taking a sleeping bag and pillow to work with us? A few years ago, research by the East of England Development Agency found 30% of people have their best ideas in bed compared to just 11% who have them at their desk. That suggests people are more creative when they are relaxed - and the agency has called for companies to install beds in the workplace.

A nap in the afternoon is nothing new. In certain hot countries, such as Spain, a short rest or sleep in the afternoon –called a siesta- is perfectly normal. But my problem with having 40 winks in the afternoon is that I usually fall into a deep slumber.

But maybe we should break from the traditional nine-to-five work culture and embrace the siesta. The UK's Sleep Council claims the nine-to-five working day does not fit into the natural sleeping pattern of the human race and says that bosses need to introduce a more sleep-friendly working day.

What do you think? Would you feel comfortable going to sleep in the office - or do you secretly do it already?!