I have long been an advocate of taking a good nap. Now, according to Dr. William Fishbein, a neuroscientist at City University of New York, I have evidence that that I am not a slacker!

Dr. Fishbein presented his findings about napping and “slow-wave sleep” at a recent meeting of the Society of Neuroscience. He found that slow wave sleep, a period of very deep sleep that occurs before the better known REM sleep, is critical to problem solving and idea generation. Fishbein’s study found that people who napped demonstrated measurably better problem solving skills than those who didn’t.

So how long should you nap? The study group took 90 minute naps, but Dr. Robert Strickgold of Harvard Medical School noted that a nap as short as twelve minutes could boost some memory function.

So if you want to improve productivity at work, pack your pillow and catch a few Zs during lunch. You’ll feel better, be more productive and your boss will be happier, too. So, for that competitive advantage – take a nap!

To read more about Dr. Fishbein’s study see the recent AP story. Click here for more on how to boost your brain power.  And there’s more! To learn about how power naps can combat burnout check out this article at the National Institute of Health. Finally, it appears that power naps can also improve memory.

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