At times, slouching will often lead in tempting you to take a quick doze or maybe a short nap. Everything is perfectly fine except of course if you are in the office and you have tons of paperwork to do. So rather than wait for your boss to take notice and most likely get you into trouble, here is an advanced way to save your neck.

The Philips Ergosensor Monitor will take heed of your “slouching” position and will eventually yell at you if you do. This was all made possible through the monitor’s ergosensor which seems to be more of a webcam that monitors your posture.

The device gives you corrective feedback as well. This comes in the forms of small icons that flash up at the bottom right of your screen.

The monitor should be perfect for ensuring that employees are not sleeping on the job, a good thing for office perhaps and to make sure that they are getting their money’s worth and productivity.

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Going over some blogs, I found this curious post over at Tech Crunch. Presumably it seems to be something that was intended to be a joke, considering that the Tech Crunch HQ claims that sleep is not among the things that are in mind when working over there.

However, this brings us to think, sleep is indeed essential and although some may deny it, a few minutes of nap time does help in the productivity area, something shared by one of the commenters over there.

Everything started from a simple email with NapQuest on the subject. The whole thing seems to be an excerpt from special rooms designed for some people who work over 8 hours a day to take some nap or so.

While some may find it hilarious, on the health aspect, the request does seem reasonable. Either that or go home early. Then again, that would mean more pressure at work or allowing the company operations to suffer due to lack of work done for the day.

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This is not the first time we have seen a multi-purpose but functional piece for the home but it seems that the Bed 42 was made for people with small spaces or the ones who require productivity.

The Bed 42 features a bed and a desk rolled into one. It is made entirely of wood where the integrated desk acts as a support for the weight of the bed frame. The Bed 42 stands to save you some space since it can become a sleeping solution and a workstation, depending on your need.

The Bed 42 was designed by Manada and was officially recognized by the German Design Council, taking home the 2012 Interior Innovation Award.

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Still wondering why a good night’s sleep makes a big difference? Well, perhaps this keynote from Jessa Gamble can somehow brief you on the reason why. Health is an immediate answer for this of course but if you want a more straight-to-the-point explanation, one of the things that will be affected is your body clock.

Sharing her research with some folks, Jessa bares how quality rest time is a key element to productivity and more importantly one’s health.

Jessa bares that the sleeping patterns of people living in environments without any artificial light at all experience true wakefulness during non-resting hours due to the high quality of sleep they get in the evening.

Hence, Jessa Gamble appeals to her audience and concerned readers that in a time of 24-hour business days, longer work periods and night shifts, we should somehow offset the damaging effects these instances would have on our body.

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It takes a big setback to somehow wake anyone up to reality and alertness and for Arianna Huffington, perhaps sharing a past ordeal or experience can be a wakeup call of sorts for people who deprive themselves of sleep.

Sharing how she suffered an accident traced all the way to lack of sleep, Huffington reiterates the importance of getting the proper amount of sleep. Apparently her talk was aimed to wake up the working class, most of which sacrifice sleep to supposedly provide some semblance of productivity in the financial aspect.

Sadly, while this may hold true at times, health is something that cannot be taken for granted. And for people who do not want to learn the hard way, the best thing is to perhaps think about getting the right amount of sleep above anything else which will eventually lead to one’s improved productivity.

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Here is another study that should let you know why naps shouldn’t be overlooked. The study was conducted at the University of California which found that sleeping before learning something is just as important as sleeping for about 100 minutes.

In a study done on 44 volunteers, study co-author Matthew Walker, explained that the volunteers who took a nap before undergoing a memorization test ended up with higher test points than their counterparts who did not take a nap.

Apparently through the volunteers, they were able to single out improvements and declines in performance and memory boost. Calling it a sleep spindle, they are described as a short, synchronized burst of electrical activity.

Hence, when idle or when you have the time for it, take a short nap. It may improve your productivity.

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According to a new research, UK businesses are losing a fortune from people who have lack of sleep. About £280 per year per annually is being lost with workers waking up feeling tired and unrefreshed to perform their duties.

About over 27% of the working nation are suffering from this dilemma which doesn’t even include sick days too. Half of those questioned said they drag themselves into work feeling tired over 20 times a year.

It says shattered workers are 23% less satisfied in their jobs and admit to low levels of productivity (24%) compared to their colleagues.

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Truckers are perhaps one of the groups that are hard hit by sleep apnea problems but Fusion Sleep hopes that their efforts would help bring down the high number of sleep apnea struck truckers. This will be tackled during the 2010 ITLC/NAFC Conference to reduce the effects and rising costs of sleep apnea issues.

Sleep Apnea, or any one of over 70 sleep disorders, are very costly diseases when left untreated, causing deteriorating health and increased hospitalizations, absenteeism and lowered productivity. By diagnosing and treating Sleep Apnea among its drivers, fleets have the potential to reduce their healthcare spend by nearly 50 percent for the affected drivers, reduce risks and increase savings in performance-related line items.

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But mind you, there is a down-side to all of this and it includes sacrificing health due to lack of sleep. Earning a fortune is one thing but the problem is focused on your health.

Take it from Ronson, she knows the price to pay for avoiding depression.

The 31-year-old girlfriend of actress Lindsay Lohan was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA yesterday, but is now home doing well.

She wrote on her blog Monday, “I’m home and all good. I was just pretty exhausted from travelling and working too much to buy Chanukah gifts and my Jewish mother was worried about me.

(Source) Showbiz Spy

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From prior posts, we have been narrating various news articles on how companies have recognized the value of sleep in employees. While some companies allow nap times, there may be an issue as far as allowing workers to make the most out of their sleeping privileges. Among them include sleeping at the very first second that the time for sleep comes.

Just like some sleep aids, here is something that can help an employee sleep comfortably. The I-Sleep is actually just like a normal pillow that you can place on your work desk where you can slide your head and get the right sleeping position for your head.

Another problem the i-sleep doesn’t address: many bosses don’t understand the concept that a 10-minute nap is not laziness, but in fact aid productivity–though that doesn’t really matter since this is just an idea for a school project and not a real product.

(Source) Crave

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We are all familiar with the phrase “No Sleeping on the Job” but apparently some companies are retracting this belief. For the sake of productivity, some companies allow their employees to sleep but not on their table.

Companies are taking on a new lease, investing in these innvovative EnergyPods for taking naps and then return to work refreshed. Of course this may be subject to a lot of issues but knowing companies, they are bound to place some restrictions and guidelines on proper hours to get some short naps and then be more productive for the sake of overall operations.

Vinayak Sudame, an engineer at the Research Triangle Park campus of Cisco, says he uses an EnergyPod to “shut my eyes and shut myself off for 10 or 15 minutes” when he is working on a problem or needs some quiet time. More than a walk or a coffee break, he says, this type of “total mental rest” helps him return to work with what he calls a “reorganized” perspective.

(Source) The New York Times

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Perhaps it is not surprising why Discovery Health is listed among CRF’s Best 50 Employers portfolio since it makes sure that it takes care of its employees, even if it means providing them sleep bonuses.

A lot of companies could do well to see the Sleep Quest program that Discovery Health has brewed up, believing more on health rather than reprimanding and branding employees on laziness. Sleep is an essential part of productivity and hence is an obvious advantage if you get well-rested employees manning the various stations of your business empire.

The initiative, created with under-performing employees in mind, offers selected staff the option of having a nap in exchange for overtime hours worked. According to the scheme – dubbed ‘Sleep Quest’ – for every hour of overtime, the employee will receive a 30-minute sleep credit, or ‘Nap Scrap’.

The employee has the choice to use his or her 30-minute Nap Scrap immediately, or accumulate several Nap Scraps and use them for a longer sleep. However, employees can only utilise a maximum of four hours total sleep time at one time, after which they begin again with zero credit.

(Source) TheTimes

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Sleep is essential to maintain the healthy bodies that need to carry out various duties today. Majority of the people today are sacrificing sleep for productivity and output which is a commendable effort but only for a limited time. Bodies are not machines. Thus in that sense we all know that in the same way that most people get sick, the same will hold true if we abuse our bodies by not giving them proper rest.

For a better medical understanding read on this:

When it’s sleep-deprived, the body has more difficulty processing blood sugar and has reduced levels of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone. These changes can increase the risk of weight gain and diabetes. Lack of sleep also increases inflammation in the body, which is believed to be an important factor in the development of heart diseases.

(Source) Online International Network

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For people who find themselves on the go at times, it would be best to consider a siesta or a short nap before proceeding with your daily chores. Many would not have this privilege especially if they are in an office. However they can try to steal a couple of winks when they are on lunch break. Remember that breaks are given normally up to an hour and for people taking meals, sometimes you can finish eating way beyond the final seconds of your break time.

People need to recharge midway at times. Short as it may you may be surprised at the difference that short stolen naps can provide especially in terms of productivity.

The siesta has been around for thousands of years and was even regarded as a necessity, rather than a luxury. It is still widely practiced in Spain today, though they also use it to get out of the sun during the hottest part of the day and can therefore take as long as two hours to rest.

(Source) MSN Life and Style

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As far as getting proper sleep is concerned, most people who have found themselves searching for it have obviously found themselves on the losing end and apparently are underachieving. This includes being successful in your career, work, and most of all, maintaining a healthy body and lifestyle.

People today are geared more towards doing more, meeting deadlines and sacrificing by pushing themselves to the limit. At first this does sound noble and something others should follow by example. But if you talk about putting yourself in high risk by leaving your body an open battlefield where diseases and illnesses can penetrate then that is another story.

You cannot expect to be fulfilled and successful if you do not rest and sleep. We can see this as our haggard bodies show something that is missing. If we do have problems with sleeping, a short visit to the doctor or specialist really wouldn’t hurt.

“For healthy people, there’s a big temptation to voluntarily restrict sleep, to stay up an hour or two or get up an hour or two earlier,” said Dr. Greg Belenky, director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University Spokane.

“But you’re really reducing your productivity and exposing yourself to risk,” Belenky added.

(Source) Yahoo Health

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Sleep is needed for healthier lives but oversleeping can create problems such as weight. Not all people are pretty much inclined to allow their bodies show the bulge. Most people want a fit body and this requires the proper chemistry of sleep and exercise.

Most people are having problems balancing both sleep and productivity. Tip the weighing scales and you may find yourself going overboard as far as weight is concerned. Now that will become a sleepless endeavor. But if you are not careful, you may lose more than just weight if you don’t watch out for your health as a whole.

You’re eating all the right things and logging sweaty hours at the gym, so what’s with the weight gain? If you’ve put your diet and exercise habits under the microscope, but still aren’t getting results, it may be time to consider how other factors like sleep deprivation and high stress levels may be part of the problem.

(Source) Gaywired.com

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Our brain needs to rest and exercise. During sleep, there is a portion of our brain which is unused which is exercised. This is the work of dreams where our subconscious selves go to work.

For health reasons, people with less sleep are more prone to illnesses and related problems such as heart diseases. Productivity is one thing but without health to support it, you may as well sign your death sentence.

(Source) Your brain needs sleep because it exercises the parts of the brain you don’t normally use. Your body needs that downtime to repair and refresh its systems. When people don’t sleep for three or more days, they sometimes become psychotic.

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Less sleep means less energy to carry out the needed duties and tasks that most of us are expected to perform in everyday lives. Sleep does not need to be elaborated. The fact remains; sleep is the energizer that keeps us on the go. Foregoing the need for sleep and recharging instances will most likely to tasks being performed below par or incompetently. A person will simply suffer continuous problems that will prevent them from producing the needed output and performance as expected from them in their normal days.

However, there are instances when something has to give. Reaching deadlines and making sure that people are able to meet them despite sacrificing some amount of sleep will surely be something that a person has to choose from. Altogether, it takes will power and persistence to carry out most of them simultaneously. A person has to push himself to the limit, but for sure, there will be some room left for potential need to be able to retain the level of quality.

Productivity is a gauge of individual performance. Taking it for granted is like risking careers. Hence, sleep is essential to retain their level of efficiency. It is simply something that cannot be ignored.

Source and respects:
Sleep Loss and Daytime Performance

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