How to take a nap at the office with limited space?

After half of my day, my brain shuts down with brain fog. And I’ve tried everything; the only thing which helps me is taking a nap. Sleeping is impossible at the office because we have a small office and don’t have space. Due to the tools I need for my work, I cannot work from home. How should I be able to take a nap during the day?

Having a head that does not want to work is painful. I know that problem from my own experience, and on some days, the only thing which can help you is lying down and taking a nap. Our cultural values also complicate this with the idea that napping is only for children or very old adults. So how can we solve this issue?

I’ve already written about brain fog in this post, and one of the tips in there is to take a nap. But how do you implement this? Especially when there is no space in the office for it.

I would first check that you get enough rest during the night. Try to keep a regular sleep pattern, and also get some movement for the body while not working.

Studies also show that coffee can make your tiered ¹. Caffeine blocks the Adenosine receptors in your brain. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that causes fatigue. As long as the receptors are blocked, we don’t feel tired, but our body will continue to produce adenosine, and as soon as the caffeine is used up, we will feel instantly tired. The same can happen with tea as well ².

Another important aspect is to keep hydrated – water is the best – because one of the side effects of dehydration is feeling sleepy.

One option to sleep in the office is to use your car, go to your car and take a nap there. This is, of course, only possible for people with a car.

There is always some space under your desk – because you need to put your legs somewhere. Move your chair to the left or right, creating a natural barrier and crawling down under your desk head first. Your feet will stick out from the desk a bit. But most of that area is protected by your chair. You can optimize this setting by using a big towel hanging from the front of the desk, closing it up a bit more, and making it more private. And don’t forget a yoga mat, so it is not too hard.

Sleeping in a sitting position is not so comfortable, but when there are no other options, you can always fall back on this. But this still means that you need a closed room where it is reasonably quiet and can make it dark. If this is not possible, use an eye mask, and try putting on your headphones to dampen the sound.

And if you don’t want to be seen napping, the last (and my least favorite option) is: Sleep on the toilet, and don’t forget the headphones; otherwise, it can be a bit noisy. And I assume here that you don’t block the only bathroom of the office, of course :-) And that they are reasonably clean.

I hope you got some new ideas for taking a nap at the office. Try them out the next time you feel sleepy at the office.

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