The holiday season exacerbates the problem of busyness and lack of sleep. Everyone seems to have the same problem of not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done, to say nothing of things we might want to do for our selves. As parents we do our best to ensure our children are getting enough rest. Yet with all the plays, pageants, concerts, parties and exams, they are suffering from lack of sleep as well – and their attitudes in the morning show it!
The reality is that busyness isn’t just a holiday syndrome; we now live in a culture of busyness. It has become a status symbol, along with functioning on 3-4 hours of sleep. If we don’t give the impression of being busy or at least telling everyone we are, then we may be looked upon as a slacker, destined for mediocrity. Sometimes non-busy people may even be shunned by the go-getters for fear of being dragged down by the apparent lethargic pace of their co-worker.
Although we may burn the midnight oil, or the proverbial candle at both ends, our body was wired for rest and sleep. Each of us was created with an internal clock, the Circadian clock that senses darkness through the optic nerve and sends a message to the brain to release melatonin because it is time to go to sleep. Many of us essentially override the internal clock and set our own, utilizing over-the-counter melatonin or other medications to help us go to sleep.
The best solution to sleep deprivation due to extreme busyness is to simplify our life and do a reboot. However, this is not always possible so in the meantime there is a temporary solution—a nap. If you are someone who believes that naps are only for babies and old people here is some good news: naps are for everyone. You have permission to take a nap.
The corporate world has put an exclamation point at the end of that last sentence. The National Sleep Foundation published an article on Sleep.org entitled “Sleeping at Work: Companies with Nap Rooms and Snooze-Friendly Policies.” The five companies identified in the article understand that lack of sleep equals lack of productivity, which equals loss of revenue. They have taken steps to provide on-site napping areas for their employees. Those who use them for a quick snooze are not labeled as wimps. Apparently, even LeBron James, the famous NBA player, takes naps…so feel free to take a nap!