Do you often find it hard to concentrate during the afternoon at work?  If you find yourself staring blankly at your computer screen most days it could be that you are in need of a good power nap.

Even though nine out of ten workers believe they would be more productive if they were given an hour to sleep during the day, four out of five managers believes allowing this would cut productivity.

However, according to www.NewScientist.com taking a power nap during the working day may well help us perform better.  By sleeping for just 20 minutes in the afternoon, your body and mind will have a chance to recharge which will in turn make you more productive (and generally more awake) throughout the rest of your working day.  The main benefits of a quick nap are improved alertness and memory retention, sharpened motor skills, increased stamina and less stress.  

If you think that this is something that would help you to be more positive and dynamic in your job then it is something that you could bring up with your employer.  A lot of companies may be quick to say no to this idea but this may be because they do not understand the benefits and might think that it will interfere with the time you spend actually working.  But if you make sure you stay within your allocated break times to have a nap there should be no problem.

Recently, more and more companies are creating ‘nap-friendly’ policies or providing dedicated rooms for napping.  This all goes to show that having a quick sleep during working hours could soon become common-place and the feeling of the afternoon slump could be a thing of the past.