Naps at Work: James Hamblin Makes the Case

James Hamblin is a physician who reports for The Atlantic magazine. This is a recent video from his series, If Bodies Could Talk. This charming series takes the form of brief interviews with Hamblin, who is awkward and boyish, interspersed with facts about the subject of the video — whether it’s stress, eating, exercise, sleep, or social issues like speaking respectfully to women who happen to be pregnant.

In this video, Hamblin shares statistics about the immense cost of inadequate sleep (and advocates for workplaces having nap rooms). One thing he doesn’t address is the challenge of working different shifts — there are substantial health effects simply from working the night shift, and long shifts, like long commutes, can cause problems as well (not least by making it tougher to eat healthfully and exercise regularly, which contribute to the quality of sleep.)

Do you get enough sleep?