case studies

MW Institute for Chronobiology

The prestigious MW Institute for Chronobiology conducted a 25 year study on the effects of napping in industrial and post-industrial nations.

The study’s outcome was clear — “for 92.5% of workers, an afternoon nap increases their productivity, and their creativity and problem solving skill.”

Simply put, if you take a nap in the afternoon, you not only get more done, but your work is better, too!

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NASA

NASA also conducted a study on napping.

They concluded : “an afternoon nap increases productivity by 35% and decision-making ability by up to 50%“.

In a study published on August 3, 1999 Michael B. Mann (Deputy Associate Administrator Office of Aero-Space Technology National Aeronautics and Space Administration) states that napping is one of the measures which can prevent fatigue and lack of focus.

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John Moores University, Liverpool

Researchers at the John Moores University in Liverpool found that “an afternoon nap can help drive down your blood pressure and stave off heart attacks.”

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Harvard School of Public Health

A Harvard School of Public Health study that followed more than 23,000 people for six years showed that regular napping can cut deaths from heart disease by as much as 37 percent, providing a benefit in the same order of magnitude as that linked to lowering cholesterol, eating a healthy diet, or exercising.

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Victoria University of Wellington, Psychology Department, New Zealand (pzizz study)

We spend less time sleeping today than our ancestors did, and lack of sleep has consequences for health, immune systems, and cognitive functioning. One way to combat increasing “sleep debt” is to take short naps. We asked 29 people to listen take a 20-minute nap each day for two weeks, listening either to pzizz or to one of several competitor’s soundtracks. Importantly, people were “blind” to the condition: they did not know what soundtrack they were listening to. Before and after each session, we asked them questions designed to tap into various aspects of their well being. By the second week, we found that people who listened to pzizz reported signficantly more improvements in well-being compared to people who used competitors’ products.

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