I Need To Hurry Up And Finish This Post Because I Need To Take A Nap

Feel tired?  Run down?  Exhausted?  Lack of attention?

Here's a dirty little detail no one likes to talk about in working from home -- (keep it quiet) you can take a nap.  Shhhh.

After all, your comfy, cozy little bed is likely near your office.  Heck, your office might be in your bedroom.  If that makes you feel guilty, how about a good soft couch.

Sometimes just knowing I can take a quick nap helps.  I do not actually have to do it.  I just know I can, and nobody has to know.

When you hear it talked about amongst the tall tower guys and gals you might mistake it for something illicit. Some people will admit to doing it on the weekends, but only under very special circumstances. Others speak in hushed tones as they confess to doing it at work, usually behind locked doors. Should you admit to doing it, there are some who will look at you with fear, confusion, and disbelief, nonplussed that anyone could ever do it—especially not at work.

All this over a simple innocent little nap?

According to a recent article in Good Magazine, it has been scientifically demonstrated that naps as short as five minutes long can improve alertness and certain memory processes. But, the timing of naps is as important as their length. All sleep is not equal. We are biologically programmed to sleep not only for a long period in the middle of the night but also for a short period in the middle of the day.  We are missing that day time programed nap.

Come on, you do not want to do it at work and let your staff see you drool on your desk or snore.

Naps can enhance visual, motor, and spatial skills, in some cases to the same extent as a full night of sleep. An epidemiological study on over 24,000 Greek adults showed that napping can decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. The study noted that occasional napping (once or twice a week for less than 30 minutes at a time) decreased a person’s risk for coronary heart disease by 12 percent, but that regular napping (three or more times a week, for 30 minutes or more) decreased risk by a whopping 37 percent. A little siesta may be a secret ounce of prevention—the proverbial apple a day.

So leave the office tower, move home to work, put down that cup of coffee you slug down every day and just give in to your nappiness.  Not only will you save money working from home, but most Starbuck's drinkers will save over a thousand dollars a year giving up that habit.

Comments

[Lisa Solomon]

Having a home office was a lifesaver for me when I was pregnant, because I could lie down whever I needed to.

I still take the occasional daytime nap, especially when I have worked late the night before. I don't like to nap in my bed or on the couch, though. Instead, I nap in my daughter's bed (her bedroom's next to my office, and her bed - well, the frame at least - was mine when I was a kid) or on the floor of my office (next to Chester, my faithful yellow lab).