Sleeping vital for better work environment: Experts

By Mohammed Alragawi

ISTANBUL (AA) – As the World Sleep Day is being celebrated on March 19, experts and entrepreneurs underline the importance of taking naps to provide a better work environment.

Bilal Salih, a business consultant based in Istanbul, said taking short naps during work has many benefits such as increasing productivity and enhancing the creativity of employees.

“Napping at work is vital for reducing stress and helping employees embrace better sleeping habits in general,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“Naps can help reduce stress hormones, which will have both short- and long-term benefits on employees and employers too,” he added.

World Sleep Day is an annual event, intended to underline the importance of issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, and social aspects.

- Changing culture

Salih argues that sleeping also enhances creativity among employees.

“After a quick nap, it’s common to feel refreshed and more energized, which enables workers to generate creative ideas to solve daily work problems,” he said.

While napping is considered as laziness in the work culture, Salih said this culture is “changing now”.

“Many companies started to allocate times and places designated for employees to take a break during work, which includes providing beds or sofas on which workers can lie down or take a nap,” he explained.

Salih believes that sleeping should be considered as “just another type” of taking a break during work time.

“Taking a break is a relative matter,” he said, “Napping is similar to drinking a cup of coffee, watching a short clip, talking to a coworker, or any other break activities,” he said.

“Thinking about napping is a relief in itself,” Salih noted.

- Mental relief

Mohammed Alsayid, a 24-year entrepreneur in Istanbul, said the sleep policy differs from one company to another.

“Personally, taking naps is important for those who have a long working hours, but not necessary for half-time workers,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Taking a nap is vital, as it “restores balance to work, increases productivity and relieves stress,” Alsayid said.

In his small scaled company with seven full-time workers, Alsayid said he focuses on making the working hours in office “as short as possible”, because the success of any company depends on the productivity of its workers, which is effected by the worker’s lack of sleep.

He argued that “sleeping for entrepreneurs is a key”, and taking a nap at the right time is very important, but the most important thing for entrepreneurs is to “complete the desired tasks.”

“Sleeping or taking naps provide psychological comfort and mental relief, which is very important for the entrepreneurs,” Alsayid said.

“At the beginning of establishing my business, I was unable to sleep regularly because of my extreme thinking about work,” he said.

But as soon as things settle down, Alsayid said, he can now go back to his usual sleeping habits.

“Recently, I began to pay more attention to the importance of sleeping and taking naps,” he said.

Alsayid stressed that taking naps is one of the basic rights of employees.

“This will save some of the workers’ energy and enable them to perform more tasks,” he said.