Warren Cammack

Having come from a life of working in English/Australian culture one of the most unusual Vietnamese habits I noticed happens between 12 and 1pm each day. The lunch time nap is a ritual observed by motorbike drivers and office workers alike. Woe betide anyone who makes noise during nap time when an entire office has rolled out sleep mats on the floor and are dozing underneath hello kitty blankets.

I started researching  the topic and came across numerous articles talking to the cultural and climatic reasons for “siestas”. However I wanted something slightly more scientific in order to make the call on whether I invest in a mat and (non hello kitty) blanket or not.

Discovery News had an article about the potential of naps reducing a person’s life span however this indicates a link to sleep apnea rather than a true correlation that would put me off.

In a somewhat Goldilocks-like finding the news247 article talked through the research indicating that a perfect nap is 20 minutes. Anything more than 45 minutes will in the short term incite feelings of drowsiness, in the long term it may lead to type 2 diabetes. If the body works continuously for 8 or more hours (and hence no nap) then it will not perform optimally through a build up of residue chemicals and toxins that impact the nervous system.

From personal experience though I still prefer the advice given in this Forbes article which talks about the value of squeezing in some lunch time exercise. Particularly in an office environment where the majority of time people are sat at a desk it’s vital to kick start the body and avoid the health risks that come with minimal movement.

Now all I need to do is find some nearby showers so that I can exercise without encumbering my colleagues with eau de Warren for the rest of the day.