Science Says We Should Nap at Work. Good Luck.

A new study says a daily 30-minute nap can make your brain six years younger.

The Fountain of Youth is a Futon

So a study just dropped from University College London, and get this. A geneticist named Dr. Victoria Garfield found that people who habitually nap have brains that are literally bigger.

We're talking 15 cubic centimeters bigger, about the size of a small plum. Apparently, all those extra brain cells can slow down the aging of your brain by about six years. Finally, a scientific excuse for wanting to crawl under my desk after a 7-Eleven katsu sando. 😴

The 30-Minute Rule

Before you pass out for three hours on the tatami in the office meeting room, there's a catch. The magic number is 30 minutes or less. A short nap like that gives you an immediate brain boost.

Any longer, and you risk that groggy, "what year is it" feeling. The study says that while some people are genetically predisposed to napping, anyone can pick up the habit and get the same brainy benefits. It’s a lifestyle choice, they say.

So, About That "Lifestyle Choice"...

Here's where it gets real. When the researcher was asked how to actually fit this into a workday, she said the ideal is to nap after you're about halfway through your work. You know, on your lunch break.

I don't know about you, but my one-hour lunch break is a sacred time for doomscrolling and silently eating conbini pasta. Giving that up for a nap feels like a crime. The interviewer in the original article felt the same and suggested, what if companies gave us a *new* 30-minute nap break?

Dr. Garfield basically said, "Great idea, but good luck convincing the presidents." And that's the whole thing, isn't it? In Japan, falling asleep at your desk from exhaustion is a badge of honor. But scheduling a wellness nap? You might as well just hand in your resignation letter.

I'll just have to keep envying my coworker who's perfected the art of sleeping with his eyes open during meetings. Maybe his brain is already a decade younger than mine.