Should Napping Be Part of the Daily Work Routine?
This paper examines whether companies should allow employees to nap during the workday, drawing on sleep science, workplace observations, and cultural analysis. It reviews research on how napping enhances memory retention, motor skill consolidation, creativity, and mood, including findings from a study by Nishida and Walker (2007) on NREM sleep and motor memory. The paper also explores why Americans resist daytime napping compared to other cultures, referencing Barbara Holland's essay on the social stigma attached to naps. Primary source interviews with a boss and coworkers supplement the academic evidence, supporting the argument that workplace napping policies could meaningfully improve employee performance and well-being.
- Introduction: The Case for Workplace Napping: Framing the question of workplace napping's value
- Cognitive and Health Benefits of Napping: Memory, brain activity, and health gains from naps
- Creativity, Mood, and Motor Skill Improvement: How napping boosts creativity and emotional balance
- Research Evidence: NREM Sleep and Memory Consolidation: Nishida and Walker study on motor memory and sleep
- Workplace Observations and Primary Source Interviews: Boss and coworker perspectives on daytime napping
- American Culture and the Resistance to Napping: Cultural stigma and workplace design blocking naps
- Conclusion: A Call for Nap-Friendly Workplaces: Argument for policy change and cultural shift
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What makes this paper effective
- Blends peer-reviewed scientific studies with a cultural critique, giving the argument both empirical grounding and social relevance.
- Incorporates primary source interviews and workplace observations, which add a personal, real-world dimension to the academic evidence.
- Addresses counterarguments early — acknowledging that some jobs require constant alertness — before pivoting to the broader case for napping, which strengthens the paper's credibility.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the effective use of mixed evidence: it synthesizes quantitative study results (Nishida & Walker, 2007; German psychologists' memory tests) with qualitative cultural analysis (Holland, 1995) and anecdotal primary sources. This layered approach shows how to build a persuasive argument by triangulating across different types of evidence rather than relying on a single source type.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a rhetorical question to engage the reader, then establishes the scientific basis for napping benefits before moving into specific study findings. A middle section incorporates firsthand workplace observations and interviews. The final section shifts to cultural analysis, explaining why American attitudes hinder adoption of napping practices. The conclusion returns to the central argument and reinforces it with a memorable historical reference to Churchill and Milton.
Introduction: The Case for Workplace Napping
The business world is full of leaders, innovators, and people looking to beat the competition. If someone claimed there was a way to help employees be more productive at no cost to the employer, would anyone believe it? The answer is yes. It has been scientifically proven that naps allow people to achieve more at work or during any mentally challenging task. Should all companies allow napping during work hours? And why do Americans, in contrast to people in other modern countries, find it so difficult or unusual to nap during the day?
These are not easy questions to answer, because some jobs require people to be alert at all times, leaving little room for breaks — let alone nap time. For the most part, however, most companies would benefit from allowing employees to nap during the workday. In order to better understand which benefits come from napping and whether they can be applied across work-related fields, one must examine the evidence on napping at work and consider how it improves performance. If there is a universal need for improvement in any work-related activity, and napping can address that need, then all companies should consider allowing napping during work time.
Research on sleep increasingly shows that even a short nap in which a person achieves a little REM or NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep can enhance motor-skill memories along with mood. Some jobs do not require improved motor skills; they may instead demand effective decision-making or careful supervision. Evidence suggests, however, that napping helps people learn new information more efficiently — a benefit relevant to workers across every field.
Cognitive and Health Benefits of Napping
German psychologists have established that sleep enhances memory retention by making it easier to shift information from the hippocampus into the permanent storage area of the neocortex (Gayomali, 2013, p. 1). They reached this conclusion by asking volunteers to study a variety of poems, pictures, and algebra equations. Some participants were allowed to nap, while others were not. After a 40-minute nap, the sleeping group showed an 85% improvement on a memory test compared to the group that did not nap.
Research also shows that lack of sleep decreases brain activity and increases the risk of heart disease. No employer wants their workforce to be unhealthy, fatigued, and therefore less productive during the workday. Naps allow for improved productivity: even a 20-minute "power nap" can compensate for lost energy during long work weeks and long workdays. Napping also increases a person's ability to handle common job-related stressors.
Creativity, Mood, and Motor Skill Improvement
Many businesses require their employees to be creative. Chefs need creativity to dazzle diners with delicious and visually appealing food. Teachers need creativity to educate children and inspire a love of learning. Naps can help elevate creativity:
"Neuroscience researchers from Georgetown University examined the mental spark by monitoring the brain activity of 15 nappers. They discovered that the hemisphere associated with creativity — the right side, for most people — 'chattered busily to itself as well as to the left hemisphere, which remained relatively quiet,'" reports CNN (Gayomali, 2013, p. 1).
Another universal benefit of napping is mood improvement. A good mood promotes better communication, stronger relationships, and a more positive work environment. Research suggests that naps make people feel better overall. As napping provides a kind of refreshment for the brain, it also helps clear away lingering emotional reactions from interactions and daily activities. Companies need employees who can handle stress effectively while maintaining a positive outlook — and napping helps achieve that.
Conclusion: A Call for Nap-Friendly Workplaces
Napping has proven to be a powerful way to enhance brain function, yet the evidence also reveals that American culture remains too oriented toward constant busyness to embrace it. Should all companies change their policies and allow napping? Yes — because it is time for everyone, and especially Americans, to recognize that sleep is an essential component of a productive and healthy life. Great creative figures such as Winston Churchill and John Milton could not have produced their masterpieces without adequate rest. Neither should the modern workforce be expected to perform at its best without it.
References
Gayomali, C. (2013, July 30). 4 research-backed reasons you should be allowed to nap at work. The Week. Retrieved from
Holland, B. (1995). Endangered pleasures: In defense of naps, bacon, martinis, profanity, and other indulgences. Little, Brown.
Nishida, M., & Walker, M. P. (2007). Daytime naps, motor memory consolidation and regionally specific sleep spindles. PLOS ONE, 2(4), e341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000341
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