Nap Desks are Transforming Office Space Work

A regular sleep schedule is absolutely crucial when you’re putting in long hours at the office. Unfortunately, there are always going to be those nights when you just don’t get enough sleep, leaving you feeling groggy and sluggish the next day. A nap could remedy this problem, but there’s nowhere to take a nap at work, particularly in small office rentals.

Enter: the nap desk. At first glance, it looks like a typical desk, however, when you slide away the front panel, you’ll find a twin-sized bed conveniently tucked underneath. Push a side panel back, and you’ll have space for a cozy pillow. Several furniture designers have released nap desk prototypes recently, grabbing the attention of tired office workers around the world.

Recharge during the Day

A nap desk could be the perfect addition to your office space, particularly if you consistently find yourself wishing you could lay down and recharge for a few minutes at work. When you don’t get enough sleep and you feel groggy, it’s inevitable that you won’t be your best at work. You’ll be sluggish, and you may take longer on tasks than you normally would. You won’t be as effective in meetings, and you may even have to repeat tasks multiple times to get the desired results.

However, just a 20 minute nap in the middle of the day could change that entirely. This gives your brain a chance to essentially ‘complete’ the sleep cycles you didn’t get the night before, so you’ll wake up feeling refreshed. When you’re more awake and energized, you’ll be able to get much more done. Not only does this help you feel better at work, but it also benefits your bosses and coworkers.

Save Space in Tight Offices

Adding a nap desk to your office is also an excellent way to save space in an office with a small floor plan. If you don’t have room for a couch or daybed in your space, then a nap desk still gives you a place to relax, without taking up the entire room. This is also a great option for people who have small home offices and want to maximize the space as much as possible. Especially if you live in a big city, it can be difficult to find offices for lease that have a large floor plan. Nap desks are part of a trend towards space efficient furniture, which is designed to be practical for atypical floor plans.

The Benefits of Napping At Work

There are many situations at work where a nap can be incredibly helpful. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep the night before and want to catch up on rest during your lunch hour. Maybe you are struggling to meet a deadline and need to stay late at the office. In some cases, you will actually get more sleep if you can sleep at work instead of taking the time to go home and come back in the morning. Whatever your situation is, there are many reasons why you can benefit from napping at work.

After you wake up from a nap, you will likely be much more productive, because your brain will be refreshed and recharged for the day. You will also be more accurate, and your memory and creativity will be at their best after your nap. Especially in a job where your performance is absolutely crucial, taking naps when you need them can be the key to success.

Napping is also an excellent way to reduce stress. As stress builds up during the day, you might find yourself feeling physically tense, which can lead to bigger problems like headaches and digestive issues. You may also find that you are focused more on just trying to stay afloat and manage stressors than being totally productive at work. Many of today’s workplaces are very intense and create a culture of stress. Taking a quick nap gives you the opportunity to relax and let go of the stress.

Ideally, you should keep your naps around half an hour in length. In many cases, longer naps can leave you feeling groggy and disoriented for a short period of time afterwards. This essentially counteracts the positive benefits of taking a nap. Long naps can also affect your sleep schedule at night. Everyone is different, so you may need to do some trial and error to figure out the perfect nap length for you. Make sure you set a timer when settling down for your nap, just to make sure you don’t oversleep.

If you are an employer, you may want to consider giving your employees a comfortable place to nap, like a nap desk. Encouraging mindful rests and breaks during the day can actually help your employees be more productive, so it benefits everyone. When you give your employees the option to take care of their health, it also creates a better culture at work, because it shows that you respect your employees. When looking at office space for rent, consider how you can make your employees feel comfortable and productive.

Since nap desks are trending now, many furniture designers are releasing their own versions of this unique new furniture piece. If you feel tired at work or just wish you had a place to relax and recharge on stressful days, you may want to consider adding a nap desk to your office rentals. Not only will you be ahead of the curve, but you might just end up feeling more productive too.

Featured Image Credit: RobinHiggins / Pixabay