In praise of the nap

More and more studies show that a rest period in the middle of the day increases cognitive and psychomotor performance. After a nap, we are more dynamic and creative... provided that this break does not last for hours. The watches in the new Hypnagogic collection from Klokers have dials where the nap never exceeds 20 minutes.

 

What if "taking a nap" was THE resolution to make on heading back to work after the summer break? When the summer holidays are over, some can’t help but consider this approach to be somewhat flippant. That it is laziness, a clear refusal to get back to work, a bad holiday habit where it was good to doze off in the early afternoon when the heat made physical activity difficult. This may be so, but it is also the case that the nap has vital restorative and even productive virtues... In recent years, several (very serious) studies have established a link between the nap and an increase in cognitive and psychomotor performance. Those who nap prove to be more dynamic and creative at the end. Their general health and even their sleep at night are also improved.

 

In countries close to the equator, the siesta is a popular tradition. In China, the right to "xiu-xiu" (rest) is enshrined in the Constitution. Elsewhere in the world, it is often an old and secret habit of top leaders, helping them to run their businesses with an iron fist for the rest of the day. In recent years, it is fair to say that napping has played a larger role in our daily lives as a result of lockdowns and working from home. Before the pandemic, studies by the National Safety Council reported that some 70% of American employees reported being tired at work. A healthy adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Yet, the NSF noted that 35% of the population never closed their eyes for that long at nightfall. And, more generally, that Americans are sleeping 90 minutes less per night than their forebears did 60 years ago.

 

The many explanations behind this reduced rest lie in leisure-based society, the world of work, the social networks that are in constant turmoil in one place or another of the planet. Little by little, IT tools have also decompartmentalised our professional and personal agendas. We always keep an eye on our work email after hours, for example. And vice versa. The pandemic has only accelerated this phenomenon, but paradoxically it has also freed up more personal time while working from home.

  

All sleep specialists point out that you don't need to rest for long periods of time to have more energy at the end of the day. The average nap time is 15 minutes. Depending on the individual, it can last between 10 and 30 minutes. After half an hour, there is a risk of falling asleep more deeply and, consequently, of finding it difficult to wake up. Several studies show that napping is a long-term investment because it saves a sleep cycle the following night.

 

Some even suggest that regular practice is as effective as medication in reducing blood pressure. As a bonus, the nap includes a delightful sleep phase, the transition from wakefulness to sleep that promotes unusual sensory experiences. This is hypnagogy, a "psychedelic state of consciousness" that has always been favoured by creative people in search of inspiration... Provided you don't fall into a deeper sleep and forget everything.

 

 

More discreetly, Klokers has designed a new Hypnagogic collection with two initial models. On the hour disc, coloured numbers with a cut base are inscribed in a stylistic reminder of airport information boards for this time of hallucinatory journeys. Equipped with markers on the dial that limit these minutes of rest to 5, 10, 15 or 20, at the most, the minute disc provides the hypnagogic function by means of small symbolic markers in order to set the length of a creative siesta to suit the napper.