German workers urged to take siestas

Germany’s DGB confederation of trade unions urged for a short, lunchtime power nap for workers, which is good for health, energy levels and productivity. A professor of biology and psychology at the University of Regensburg said an afternoon nap bridges the power low of midday with its heightened risk of errors and help people to react faster, be more alert, remember things and put people in a better mood. The study at the University of California, Berkeley backed that up by demonstrating that healthy young adults perform better at learning task towards the end of the day if they had an afternoon nap. This idea has caught on in some big German companies such as BASF, Opel, Hornsbach and Lufthansa, which provide special rooms for their workers to take siestas, and employers said the company benefitted from the increased productivity of well-rested employees. Meanwhile, some German citizens do not welcome the idea and said nap break would delay their time to go home. Source: SCMP (A9)(19.7.2011)