Interesting Green: 8 ways to take a quick nap at work

Sun, Nov 07, 2010, AsiaOne
Source website: http://www.asiaone.com/Business/Office/Rest%2BAnd%2BRelax/Story/A1Story20101104-245690.html
By Ellen Joy Anastacio

PHOTO: 8 ways to take a quick nap at work
Graphics: Asiaone
http://www.asiaone.com/Business/Office/Rest%2BAnd%2BRelax/Story/A1Story20101104-245690.html

There are days when you just did not get enough rest the night before, and you come in to work feeling sluggish, out of sorts, and in sore need of an energy boost.

It might be because you helped your kids out with their school projects, an anniversary date with your spouse, or a solid night of partying with the guys. It might even be because you burned the midnight oil to meet a deadline at work.

One thing's for sure. After nights like these, your body will find a way to recover, whether you like it or not. Some choose to do it artificially - with drinks like coffee, soda, or energy drinks. Others choose to do it the natural way, and try to sleep it off.

If you don't have a rest area at work - and let's face it, most don't - here are some discreet sleeping positions that you can try to catch a few zzz's discreetly.

Eight sleeping positions you can try

PHOTO: Thinking
A style used by someone pretending to be thinking long and hard about a problem at work.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic1.jpg

PHOTO: Classic
Best employed by someone whose desk is not in a high-traffic area. This will probably give the most restful, continuous sleep. Be warned, you'll probably wake up with a red mark on your forehead or cheek.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic2.jpg

PHOTO: Praying
A person who has just been handed a difficult work assignment could use this position to his advantage, as it will look like he's trying to come up with the best solution to the work problem.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic3.jpg

PHOTO: Ostrich style
For those who want to sleep in the classic position but are afraid of getting caught, a well-positioned annual report could hide a quick catnap.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic4.jpg

PHOTO: Beauty style
A pretend phone conversation could, from a distance, disguise a snooze.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic5.jpg

PHOTO: Boss style
This position is not for the faint of heart, as this will expose your sleeping habit to everyone. Best left to bosses. Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic6.jpg

PHOTO: Hard worker style
Employees who can pretend to work while sleeping can make use of this style.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic7.jpg

PHOTO: Can't fool anyone style Post-Its with fake eyes drawn over your eyes will make anyone suspicious that you're doing anything that can be described as working. It might work for the office clown, who can pass it off as a joke.
Graphics: AsiaOne, Sharmira Shamsudin
http://www.asiaone.com/static/business/gallery/041110_sleep/images/pic8.jpg

While this article does not advocate sleeping on the job, studies have shown that a quick power nap can actually make you more productive.

According to the Siesta Awareness group, a 10-20 minute nap in the middle of a working day can make you more productive by over 30 per cent. It also says that according to NASA, that snooze can improve your memory and concentration, as well as a hundred per cent increase of alertness.

Research by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that brain activity remains high in those who take naps in the afternoon, but declines for those who don't. In fact, studies have also shown that power naps will benefit not only those who didn't get enough rest the night before, but basically everyone, as our natural body rhythms naturally plunge at about three in the afternoon. Sounds familiar? This, related to the other findings above, suggests that a quick catnap might be the boost you need to help you get through the rest of the day.

If you do decide to take your afternoon siesta at work, you are not alone.

In a 1993 interview with Dan Rather, then-US President Bill Clinton said: "If I can take a nap, even 15 or 20 minutes in the middle of the day, it is really invigorating to me. On the days when I'm a little short of sleep, I try to work it out so that I can sneak off and just lie down for 15 minutes, a half an hour, and it really makes all the difference in the world."

Other famous nappers include former UK Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, former US presidents John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Brahms, Beethoven, and Benjamin Franklin. And we must not forget the Spanish, who to this day, still traditionally go for their post-lunch siesta.

So if you must take that power nap to rest, recharge, and rejuvenate, research shows it's better that you do.

Just don't sleep until you clock out and leave the office.

By Ellen Joy Anastacio