Is Napping at Work Ok?

As a high school and college kid working on our farm, I remember my dad sometimes taking short naps after lunch. At the time, I didn’t think my dad was lazy in any way, but I didn’t understand it. As a business owner for 30 years (and now past the age of my dad in those memories), napping at work is something I do occasionally. Napping at work is a topic full of strong opinions. Let’s explore the question – both for ourselves and our organizations – is napping at work ok?

Work is For Working!

Here is the thinking: If you are at work, you should be working. And you aren’t working when you are asleep. This simple logic says no to napping at work. Certainly, in some jobs, a nap might not be a good idea. Sleeping on the assembly line? Napping when you are on the Customer service hotline? These aren’t good ideas. But napping doesn’t have to mean that. In both of those situations a nap on a break could be ok, couldn’t it?

But, Productivity!

You can’t be productive if you are sleeping. If you think about productivity as activity (if you are busy, you are productive), sleep is counterproductive. But what if you think about productivity as accomplishment? Would you say that Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Winston Churchill accomplished a lot? They were all known proponents of the midday nap.

Edison would nap with his mind on a specific problem or challenge, expecting insight to come when he awakens. I do the same. I could stare at the problem for 10 minutes, or take a 7-10 minute nap. Invariably, I wake up with a new perspective or insight that helps me move forward. Which is more productive?

When you accurately view productivity as output/time (rather than activity/time), you can see that napping can increase, rather than decrease productivity.

Being at Our Best!

We want people to be at their best at work so they can do great work. But how often are we at our best? And what role does sleep play?

37% of U.S. Adults say they slept somewhat or much worse in 2023. And I don’t need to cite research to convince you that when we sleep better, we are better at most everything including our work. Given this, napping at work can help brain health, stress levels, moods, and cognitive function.

How Long Should We Nap?

Chances are, if you haven’t been a “napping at work” proponent (or you are now intrigued), you are wondering how long our naps should be?

Thomas Edison held a steel ball in one hand when he sat in his chair to nap. When he relaxed enough for the ball to drop, it would wake him, and his nap was complete. I typically nap from 7-11 minutes (awakened by an alarm on my phone if needed). Sleepfoundation.org says 20-30 minutes.

The Where of Napping at Work

Admittedly, napping at work when you are working in the office can be challenging. Both physically and culturally. Even if your organization says napping is ok, not all will agree. In those cases, if you want to nap, you might not for fear of being judged in real or perceived ways. Even if there are no psychological/cultural barriers, there is the question of where to actually nap!

Some organizations have installed sleep pods or made other accommodations, but this is still relatively rare. If your organization has stated and/or the team culture allows, look for creative ways to catch a few minutes of rest. And if you are working from home, the physical barriers should be minimal!

Another Form of Flexibility

For several years, I have said the future of work is flexible. We continue to find greater flexibility in terms of hours of work and location of work. You can easily think of napping at work as another form of work flexibility.

Consider napping at work as a possible productivity and mental health enhancer. This will help you look at it with more hope and less disdain. Of course, it can be overdone or abused. But with clear expectations and boundaries, napping at work can become more than an occasionally used perk. It can actually help people create better results.