Falling asleep on your laptop in the library doesn’t count
A short nap can be just the ticket for restoring concentration and energy, and the VU Amsterdam has recently bought a series of ‘sleep pods’ for its students. As reported by the UKrant, the University of Groningen could decide to do the same.
Having an extended mid-day pause so that you can work more efficiently is already a fairly common practice in southern Europe. The Algemene Dagblad reports that the benefits are so well-known that even Dutch olympic gymnast (and University of Groningen-alumnus) Epke Zonderland has a quick 20-minute nap before performing.
The VU has therefore purchased a number of power nap beds, where students and staff can close their eyes for fifteen minutes. The power nap beds are a kind of capsule with a mattress in it, and a roller-door at the far end.
‘Power nap specialist’, and sports doctor Kasper Janssen says that facilitating power naps is part of being a good employer. After a short rest employees are allegedly alert for three hours longer than when they fight against tiredness. Other benefits include a better mood and greater attention to detail.
It is important that you do not stay in the capsule for too long. “If you take a nap for more than twenty-five minutes, there is a chance that you will wake up with a hangover, as if you were jet lagged. Then the nap has the opposite effect”, said Janssen.
Image via VU Amsterdam on Facebook
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