Take a nap on the job? It’s National Napping Day

Author: CBS News
Published: Updated:
Napping dog. (Credit: CBS)
Napping dog. (Credit: CBS)

Feeling drowsy? Today’s the one day you can claim that you’re celebrating a national holiday if you happen to be caught napping at your desk.

Monday, March 11 is National Napping Day.

The day, tellingly, falls on the first workweek day after most people have “sprung forward” and set their clocks ahead an hour.

The day is meant to encourage everyone to find a little time to rest up.

The day was the brainchild of former Boston University professor William Anthony, who wanted all of us to realize the health benefits of catching some quality snooze time.

Napping is a time honored tradition, central to cultures such as in Spain, where it happens soon after the afternoon meal. It is called a ‘siesta.’

Having a nap in the middle of the afternoon makes sense biologically. That is when the circadian rhythms have a change-over point between the wake cycle and the sleep cycle, making it the perfect time to snooze.

The National Sleep Foundation finds a 20 minute to 30 minute nap can even increase on-the-job performance.

“Naps can increase alertness in the period directly following the nap,” the sleep education and advocacy foundation finds, “and may extend alertness a few hours later in the day.”

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