
In today's fast paced, 24/7 access working world, a mid-day siesta seems more at place in the kindergarten classroom than the office, but one worker at
Bloomberg, inspired by numerous studies showing the health benefits, decided to give it a shot. Turns out, at least according to her experience, it's very difficult to sleep at work. While
literature encouraging
napping at work is
abundant, perhaps due to sleep deprivation becoming so prevalent the CDC has even called it a
public health epidemic, workers are probably more likely to turn to the coffee machine to combat daytime sleepiness, versus a quick nap. For one, this is because, even though they may be aware of the health benefits, it's difficult to imagine bosses looking kindly at someone seeking to get a bit of shuteye, and even more difficult to imagine, say, potential clients getting a good impression of the firm as well. For another, and this is what the Bloomberg reporter found most difficult, it turns out offices aren't very good environments for sleep. Never actually getting comfortable enough, despite tools to block out noise and light, the reporter couldn't fall asleep. Then there was the self-consciousness, even though it was technically sanctioned as part of a story.
She concludes that if we want to get the benefits of sleeping at work, offices will need to change both physically and culturally to accommodate it.