Taking a nap helps you be more productive than sleeping at night: Study

In an interesting study, researchers have shown that naps are more beneficial to people’s productivity than longer night sleeps.

In a study of more than 450 low-income workers in Chennai, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, led by economist Frank Sylbach, increased people’s sleep. , Did not bring any benefit to the work. It lowered productivity, income, well-being, and even blood pressure.

Meanwhile, shorter naps improved productivity and well-being, researchers reported in a paper published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics in August.

Chennai Study

This study has its roots in another study conducted by Schilbach of Chennai and his colleagues. During that time, it was observed that low-income people, in addition to other daily tasks, tended to have difficulty sleeping.

To carry out the latest research, researchers have equipped Chennai residents with actigraphs. These watch-like devices that infer sleep status from body movements allowed the team to study people at home.

In this survey, we surveyed 452 people in a month. Some people have been given encouragement and tips for a better sleep. Others received the financial incentive to sleep more. Some members of both of these groups took a nap to see what the effect was.

Participants in the study were also given the task of data entry in a flexible amount of time during the experiment, allowing researchers to closely monitor the effects of sleep on workers’ production and income. I did.

Main survey results

Overall, participants in the Chennai study added an average of approximately 5.5 hours per night and an average of 27 minutes per night prior to the intervention. However, to get those 27 minutes, participants were in bed for an extra 38 minutes per night. Interestingly, researchers found that participants woke up 31 times per night on average.

“The important thing that stands out is that people’s sleep efficiency is low, that is, their sleep is very fragmented,” Sylbach, associate professor of career development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in a statement. It states.

Other authors of this study included Pedro Bessone, who recently graduated from MIT’s Faculty of Economics, and Gautam Rao, an associate professor of economics at Harvard University.

“They have very little time to experience what is believed to be a deep sleep recovery effect …. People’s sleep volume is due to intervention as they spend more time in bed. But their sleep quality did not change, “he said.

As a result, the people surveyed did not experience any positive changes after getting more sleep on various indicators. Indeed, Sylbach said: The more time you spend in bed, the less time you spend on other things in your life. ”

On the other hand, study participants who are allowed to take a nap during a data entry job work better in some measured categories.

“There is clear evidence that naps improve various outcomes such as productivity, cognitive function, and psychological well-being, as opposed to night sleep interventions, and some evidence of savings,” Schilbach said. He also states. A faculty member of the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Poverty Behavior (J-PAL) at MIT said. “These two interventions have different effects.”

However, naps only increased total income when compared to workers who took breaks instead. Nap did not increase the total income of workers — nappers were more productive per minute, but spent less time working.

“Nap isn’t just about paying for yourself,” Schilbach said. “People don’t really stay in the office for long when they’re taking a nap, probably because they have other things to do, such as taking care of their family. When people take a nap for about 30 minutes, Working hours are reduced by almost 30 minutes, almost 1: 1 and, as a result, the income of the people in that group is low. ”