Nap Time - Not just for Children

If I were to take a poll of adults who as to Nap Time Yes/No what do you think the results would be?

Would they fall 50/50, 75/25, 25/75, or something else?

If you ask me, or my employer, you would find a resounding YES, that Nap time for adults is a plus.  We even have a special Lounge created for this added health benefit with guidelines established.  The Stickel Lounge is named in honor of a previous Editor for the Paper. It has 5 distinct areas designed for maximum benefit of its users.  There is a soft but well lit table for people who wish to have the quiet of the lounge but still desire to work on writing or a laptop computer.  There is a lower lit living room section where a Large over-sized recliner and soft comfortable well cushioned couch await you intended for those who want to rest but perhaps read too. There is a semi-dark area with three very large overstuffed recliners where the only light is a carryover from the dimly lit living room area. A darker area with another couch flows off of the semi-dark reclining section, separated by a half wall and nearly dark it greats you with another very comfortable couch meant for lying down. There is an additional room with a door and two Recliners intended initially for nursing mothers to allow privacy, however, if it is not in use it gives an additional measure of quiet and peace to users.  Throughout the lounge there is an expectation of silence.  It's not a place for chatting, cell phone calls, or eating.  NO food allowed.  Its meant for rejuvenation and reboot.  In all, 8-10 people at a time can sleep here.

Does this make those who use it lazy, or slackers?  Absolutely not.  I personally LOVE this room.

According to studies 20 minutes of sleep in the afternoon provides more rest than 20 minutes more sleep in the morning (though the last two hours of morning sleep have special benefits of their own). The body seems to be designed for this, as most people’s bodies naturally become more tired in the afternoon, about 8 hours after we wake up. You can actually benefit from 20 minutes to 1 hour but you have to control your sleep stages.

When you sleep you pass through different stages of sleep, known together as a sleep cycle. These stages include light sleep, deep sleep (which is believed to be the stage in which the body repairs itself), and rapid-eye movement sleep, or REM sleep (during which the mind is repaired). However, research has shown that a 1-hour nap has many more restorative effects than a 30-minute nap, including a much greater improvement in cognitive functioning. The key to taking a longer nap is to get a sense of how long your sleep cycles are, and try to awaken at the end of a sleep cycle.

What are the benefits of napping?
Napping offers various benefits for healthy adults, including:

• Relaxation
• Reduced fatigue
• Increased alertness
• Improved mood
• Improved performance, including quicker reaction time, better memory, less confusion, and fewer accidents and mistakes

I remember as a kid, fighting nap time.  "I'm not tired".   But today, I not only agree with nap time, but I try to reserve my lunch period at least 2 days a week for it.  I can't compromise lunch everyday for it,  I get so many lectures about skipping meals, but I figure a couple of days a week are nice.

I'm sure if I continued researching I could find lots of studies extolling the benefits of nap time, but I don;t have time right now,  I'm on way to take a nap.