How strategic sleeping and napping can help prevent burnout

Good news for overworked employees and entrepreneurs on the verge of burnout: overworking and putting in those long hours may just be overrated. Worse, they might even prove dangerous to your health.

And while no one likes a slouch or an idle lazy hanger-on, strategic sleeping and napping can actually make you more productive and motivated. And to business owners, encouraging your workforce to adopt some of these practices might increase their level of engagement.

In his column for The Entrepreneur, Srini Pillay, the founder, and CEO of the Neurobusiness Group says that well-timed and well-planned napping that lasts for 30 minutes at most is the answer to the workforce’s seemingly non-stop struggle against unprecedented stress and immense data overload. In giving their battered brains a rest, napping helps workers step back and reconnect with the information they just digested. With clearer and sharper thinking upon awakening, they can make more accurate decisions and be open to more learning. They also gain a bit of their self-confidence back because of these restored abilities.

Real Views echoes these findings, pointing out that Japanese companies have long promoted “sleeping on the job” as a way for employees to recharge and boost their productivity. Western companies are catching on and have begun to institute sleep hubs, quiet corners for meditation, and yoga classes in the workplace.

The results do speak for themselves. One survey of employees who had been allowed to experience these new facilities reveals the following: 66 percent of the participants felt that they had become healthier. Seventy percent saw their output and performance rise. Meanwhile, absenteeism in these companies declined by five percent.

Pillay’s company has been instrumental in introducing strategic napping into workplaces. Technology might give him an extra hand. The Brain Blogger reports that sleep apps are getting to become more popular. Millions of working Americans who admit to having sleep disorders want more improved apps that go beyond motivation, but instead help them with their sleeping and napping habits that will give them more mental clarity energy, and self-confidence for the battles ahead.