Caught napping
Lauren Taylor finds out whether a quick lunch-time snooze really can boost your focus levels
WE all have nights when we fall seriously short of the recommended eight hours of shut-eye, and the following day can feel like you’re fighting your way through brain fog and struggling to concentrate, particularly by the afternoon. It was apparently Winston Churchill who first coined the term ‘power nap,’ saying that a daily two-hour sleep top-up gave him the ability to think more clearly. While it’s generally accepted that there’s no substitute for a good night’s sleep, for many people, that’s not always easy to achieve. But is it better to perk yourself up by chain-drinking coffee, or would a lunchtime nap actually do you some good? A concept new to the UK that might change the future of how we use our lunch breaks, and impact our afternoon productivity – in the form of ‘nap pods.’ The idea originated in Japan. The first – Capsule Inn Osaka – opened in 1979 and coincided with an increase in taxi fares, so it became a more practical alternative than nipping home for a nap for late-working business people. In the UK and Ireland, rest has always been considered a night-time activity. According to the TUC, one in eight people now do shift work, often with frequently changing shift patterns. Technology now means we check work emails at home so never really switch off, and the traditional nine-to-five feels like something that belongs to a bygone era. So, maybe we should take a leaf out out of other countries’ books and rest during the day – and there’s now actually a place to do it. Pop and Rest has opened its first permanent space in East London, where you can pay per half-hour (or up to three if you need it) for a snooze. “Sometimes people don’t prioritise sleep, it’s seen as weak in the working environment, but that’s wrong,” says Mauricio Villamizar, chief executive of Pop and Rest. “People are starting to realise how important sleep is for a good quality of life.” The four ‘pods’ are surprisingly spacious, like mini hotel rooms with a single bed and bedside table. With a pretty bad night’s sleep behind me, I head to Pop and Rest for a 30-minute snooze, which costs £8 (one hour is £15, two is £28). With gentle jungle sounds playing, which you can drown out with earplugs, if you prefer. I can hear a few cars outside and footsteps upstairs — they’re working to make the pods more soundproof, but I soon drift off into a half-asleep but ‘very aware I need to get up soon’ sort of state. Back at work, I’m convinced the midday lie-down has done some good, though. I get through the rest of my work efficiently and end up working a couple of hours longer than usual. Dr Mark Winwood, director of psychological services at AXA PPP Healthcare, says: “Studies of napping have shown improvement in cognitive function, creative thinking, alertness and memory performance. “As we go through the day, our levels of alertness decrease, so [it] can be a really helpful way of resetting ourselves. There are also long-term benefits to regular naps, including reduced blood pressure levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.” But he warns that napping for too long can create a “sleep hangover – the grogginess and disorientation after a deep sleep – which can disturb your normal sleep cycle”. Neuroradiologist Dr Emer Macsweeney, agrees that the length of the nap is key, as well as the time of day it’s taken. “To energise your afternoon, a quick 20-minute nap will help boost alertness and increase your performance. Mid-afternoon is the best time to schedule naps and it won’t interfere with evening sleep.” She suggests having a coffee just before taking a nap and the effect of the caffeine will kick in 20 minutes later to wake you up. To book a nap, visit popnrest.com