The Hindu Business Line : Wake up to some sleepy truths

NODDING employees are common not only in boss's room but also at their own desks. So, even as you guiltily suppress a yawn and ashamedly straighten after slumping, be blessed to know that sleep at work is a common problem. I can see that you'd nod to agree. And, on this good earth, employers too are waking up from their deep slumber to recognise the role of snooze. When AccountingWeb reports that power napping is the latest trend for weary workers, my yawn becomes a chuckle because it would then be unfashionable not to sleep in the chair.

There is www.sleepfoundation.org, to visit if you are awake and online. It explains that `narcolepsy' is "a chronic neurological disorder characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness". Approximately 60 to 80 per cent of those with narcolepsy may also experience `cataplexy'! Means? "A sudden loss of muscle tone ranging from a slight weakness to total collapse that is triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, anger or surprise."

There's more, such as `sleep paralysis' where one is "unable to talk or move for a brief period when falling asleep or waking up"; `hypnagogic hallucinations' meaning "vivid and often scary dreams and sounds reported when falling asleep"; and `automatic behaviour', that is, "familiar, routine or boring tasks performed without full awareness or later memory of them".

The site offers `today's sleep tip' that I skip to read about a recent study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh that found consistent sleepers doing better. "They tested 100 healthy subjects using a diary and a questionnaire to explore the relationship between lifestyle regularity and subjective sleep quality," says the Foundation. `Lifestyle regularity' means, "getting up, going to bed, and performing daily tasks at about the same time". So, it is good to eat while you eat, and play while you play, as taught in school.

The Foundation's findings seem to have a wide appeal because working and sleeping are universal phenomena. In a 2002 survey that covered about a thousand people, it was found that the average adult slept less than seven hours a night during a work week; two in five adults admitted that the quality of their work suffered when they were sleepy (the other three should be lying!); two out of three found concentration diminished by sleepiness (so the balance one should have slept with concentration, I guess); and one in three "would nap at work, if allowed" (perhaps, of the remaining two, one may fight sleep while the other simply succumb to it, boss or no boss).

Sleeping is good business because www.metronaps.com talks of `pods' designed for power naps: "Its contours are perfect for napping; its mechanical processes are perfect for waking." It costs $14 per nap, $65 per month!

Accountants too are joining in, says a report in www.pittsburghlive.com. Thus, a Big Four firm, Deloitte & Touche has a `nap room, located in an unused office' in Pittsburgh. Napping is not the same as sleeping on the job, explains Bill Anthony, "a Boston University researcher who has written two books on napping". He asserts: "People have to sneak a nap because they are afraid they'll lose their job or reputation. That's what needs to change."

Another US example that the site gives is of National City Bank, where "what started out as a place for new mothers' nursing room is now a place for the masses to catch up on their rest."

In brief, a bold and guilt-free short sleep is a power nap. And to sweeten the dreams during such a session, don't forget that we get paid for that!

SayCheek@thehindu.co.in