Siesta revolution in the office? Medical officers call for hot working hours regulation

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In view of the high temperatures, the medical officers encourage the introduction of a siesta working method in summer in Germany. “When it’s hot, we should be guided by the way southern countries work: getting up early, working productively in the morning and taking a siesta at noon is a concept that we should adopt in the summer months,” said the chairman of the Federal Association of Physicians in the Public Health Service ( BVÖGD), Johannes Nießen, the editorial network Germany (RND).

“People are not as efficient as usual when it is very hot. Poor sleep without cooling down at night also leads to concentration problems.”

Also enough fans and light clothing in the office

Complex work requirements should therefore be postponed until the early hours of the morning, the doctor added. “You also need enough fans and lighter clothing, even if the dress code in the office doesn’t allow it.”

It is also important to drink a lot more and eat light food in several smaller portions. “A cold footbath under the desk would be another way to cool down in the home office,” said Nießen.

DGB board member Anja Piel has meanwhile called on employers to regularly prepare heat risk assessments during the summer months in order to ensure occupational safety during high temperatures. “Employers must protect their employees from the heat – working in the heat is stressful for employees and, in the worst case, endangers their health,” she told the RND. “Hazard assessments are the basis for tailor-made protection.”

Is a nap healthy or harmful?

While the siesta is a tradition in Japan and Spain and is also becoming increasingly popular in Silicon Valley, napping is less common here – at least during a working day. A nap during the day is considered good for concentration, creativity and productivity. But some studies have shaken the positive image.

Those who regularly take short naps during the day increase their risk of high blood pressure and stroke: a study recently published in the specialist journal “Hypertension” shocked nap lovers with this observation. Using data from the UK, the Chinese authors reported that frequent or regular daytime naps were associated with a 12 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure and a 24 percent higher risk of stroke in adults, compared to people who didn’t never took a nap.

There was a high percentage of men among the regular day sleepers, as well as participants with a low level of education and income, and people who smoked, drank alcohol daily, suffered from insomnia or were more likely to be nocturnal.

Sleep researcher Michael Grandner from the University of Arizona emphasizes in a comment that the nap itself is probably not harmful. Rather, many people who take short naps during the day would do so at night due to lack of sleep: “Poor night’s sleep is associated with poorer health, and a nap is not enough to compensate.”