Sleeping on the job can’t be good for you, can it?

With traffic jams and the long commute between different emirates back in the daily routine of many a UAE residents, it’s our sleep that is getting impacted, among other things like our finances.

It’s a daily struggle for many of us to stay in office until late evening to avoid peak traffic, and feeling energetic and productive after a few hours of work becomes quite unlikely.

Instead, energy levels dip drastically by the time we reach home with leaden eyelids, wishing only if we could snatch a 40-minute wink during work hours.

Most companies would not permit this, but there are some employers in certain industries who do not mind employees catching up on critical sleep to get some energy boost during the latter half of the day.

According to a new research by the University of South Australia’s Centre for Sleep Research, published on , sleep on the job has particular relevance for nightshift workers in safety-critical industries such as healthcare or transport, who have to return from breaks and operate at full capacity.

This logic may not necessarily be true for employees who follow a 9am to 5pm work routine, but it’s important for workers in industries such as aviation, petrochemicals, transport and health, where post-nap alertness is critical for workplace safety.

But, if you do take a power nap during the day, the big question is: for how long should it be and at what time during your shift?

The study conducted by the researcher at the Australian university shows that a 30-minute nap during a nightshift produced long-lasting sleep inertia, with recovery times of up to 45 minutes.

A 10-minute nap during a nightshift, however, helped stabilise performance during the hour after waking, with little-to-no sleep inertia. (Sleep inertia is the groggy feeling most people experience when waking up, and is characterised by slow reaction times, poor decision-making and reduced information processing).

It’s also important to allow time between a nap and the recommencement of work. “The research suggests that if you have a 30-minute break in a shift at night, it’s better to take a 10-minute nap at the start of your break. Don’t take a 30-minute nap if you need to return to work straight away,” says the researcher.

Some companies in Japan encourage employees to sleep on the job as they believe a rested employee will perform better.

Okuta, a home renovation firm near Tokyo, is such an example. The company permits its employees to take a 20-minute power nap at their desks or in the staff lounge. And, this has not led to any kind of losses for the company. On the contrary, it’s been quite a success and employee performance has improved.

Hugo Inc., an internet consulting company based in Osaka, also follows this policy. In this company, employees can take a 30-minute break between 1pm and 4pm, in a bid to rejuvenate themselves and this proves that a mid-day nap may not necessarily be just for little children.
 

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