How Sleeping On the Job Might Get You a Raise In Pay

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sleeping while “on the clock” is perhaps one of the worst offenses you can commit at work. Depending on the nature of your job. Some jobs it’s just a minor transgression, where in others it could be called gross misconduct, grounds for severe disciplinary action. But what if sleeping on the job, otherwise known as taking a nap, actually made you a better employee?

Have you considered the power of naps, do power naps work? Taking a nap is like rebooting your brain. There’s actual science behind this, according to research it refreshes the brain, can make you more creative, and can even boost your intelligence. So, next time you’re caught sleeping on the job, you can point to the research, and that you might need a raise in pay.

But before you do that, you need to know some of the facts, like what’s the perfect nap, how long and when are the best times to take a nap to get the most brain boosting benefit? Let’s ask Dr. Mednick. She’s written the Take a Nap Book and she has the “Take a Nap Nap Wheel” which is a tool to figure out the optimal time to take a nap.

Once you figure the best time to take your nap, now you need to figure how long your nap should be to get you the most “bang for your buck.” Plus you want to do it when it’s less likely for the boss to come by and catch you sleeping. But if he does come by, make sure you have a copy of the research pinned to your chest, just in case.

According to Dr. Mednick:

For a quick boost of alertness, experts say a 10-to-20-minute power nap is adequate for getting back to work in a pinch.

For cognitive memory processing, however, a 60-minute nap may do more good, Dr. Mednick said. Including slow-wave sleep helps with remembering facts, places and faces. The downside: some grogginess upon waking.

Finally, the 90-minute nap will likely involve a full cycle of sleep, which aids creativity and emotional and procedural memory, such as learning how to ride a bike. Waking up after REM sleep usually means a minimal amount of sleep inertia, Dr. Mednick said.

One thing you can do to prevent yourself from falling into that deep sleep is to nap sitting up, this will help. If you find that you can’t help but fall into that deep sleep, or if you’re dreaming during your nap, it could be a sign that you’re sleep deprived, and maybe you need to stop binge watching your fave Netflix series into the wee hours of the morning.during your power naps, it could be a sign that you have much more deep seated problems, depending on the show you’re binging of course.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Resources” border_width=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Naps boost the brain’s learning capacity[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]The science of naps

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