Snooze Control
BU People: On National Napping Day, BU prof says get your daily doze
Feel like grabbing some shut-eye in the middle of the day?
Go ahead, says William A. Anthony, a Sargent College professor of rehabilitation sciences, because today is National Napping Day.
Although he’s not a sleep researcher, Anthony and his wife, Camille, designated the special day in 1999 to make people aware of the health benefits of napping and to remove the stigma of naps as activities only for the elderly or the very young.
Nappers may be thought of as “lazy, lethargic slugs, when in fact napping makes you more productive,” says Anthony, a psychologist and executive director of Boston University’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. “It improves memory, performance, and health, and it doesn’t cost you anything.”
Anthony chose the first day after daylight saving time starts as Napping Day, he says, because it’s one time when “everyone’s sleep-deprived.”
Dubbed the “Napmaster General” by the national media for his advocacy, Anthony comes from a long line of nappers. Growing up, a midday siesta was encouraged by his family — his parents had three couches in the living room — and relatives would sometimes have contests to see who could take the most naps in a day or who could sleep under the most challenging circumstances.
Anthony’s most difficult nap was taken in the middle of a card game. But Camille may have that bested. She’s managed to grab some shut-eye on the couch in her boss’s office.
The two have written books on the virtues of naps, The Art of Napping and The Art of Napping at Work. “My nephew said, ‘You write a lot of textbooks that put people to sleep — why don’t you write a book about napping,’” says Anthony.
While he doesn’t recommend catching some z’s under your desk, he believes that everyone can find 20 or 30 minutes a day to reap the rewards of a good catnap.
“The ideal place is whatever works,” he says. “So if you can do it at the bus station or at the student union or between classes, do it.”
Most college students can usually find time for a nap. Some students at Indiana University recently formed a napping club on campus, securing a dark room and filling it with air mattresses, according to Anthony.
But those wanting to nap during the workday usually have to resort to more stealthy measures. Most will hole up in their office, sneak off to a bathroom stall, or hide out in their car, he says. One acquaintance has come up with an original ruse to manage a nap on the job. He leans back in his chair, tilts his head, and closes his eyes, gripping a bottle of eyedrops for all to see.
It’s no secret what Anthony will be doing today between media interviews. “I’ll definitely be napping,” he says. “I do it every day.”