The article chosen “The science of naps” written by Kirsten Weir. Daytime dozing is becoming a workplace trend. Ben & Jerrys, Zappos, Uber and Google have installed dedicated nap spaces in their headquarters, in hopes that some midday shuteye will boost employee productivity and creativity. While company nap rooms might still be an exception rather than a rule, a sizeable fraction of Americans still find a way to squeeze in a nap. According to a 2009 report by the Pew Research Center, a third of U.S adults nap on any given day. A study by University of Michigan doctoral student Jennifer Goldschmied and colleagues found that after waking from a 60-minute midday nap, people were less impulsive and had greater tolerance for frustration than people who watched an hourlong nature documentary instead of sleeping (Personality and Individual Differences, 2015).
Some of her own laboratory research suggests that frequent nappers show greater improvements in performance following a midday nap than people who don’t often nap (Biological Psychology, 2006). Sleep and learning Even in well-rested people, naps can improve performance in areas such as reaction time, logical reasoning and symbol recognition, as Cote described in a 2009 review (Journal of Sleep Research, 2009).
