Category: In the News

Breaking news on NAPS!!!

I just came across a recent ‘six-year’ study of the effects of napping. why wasn’t I included in this ‘test’ group? napping is what I do best! napBut it wasn’t the fact that a 6-year-sleep-study was done that I found intriguing. According to the study it seems that “a little midday snooze seems to reduce risks for fatal heart problems, especially among men.”

What? Stop the presses!!! Hold the phone! Does this mean Doctors are now advocating I take a daily nap at work?  The study found that “Those who napped at least three times weekly for about half an hour had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap.” So YES… it looks as if I need to add nap-time to my daily agenda… Okay… let me rephrase… it looks as if I need to add a nap-time to my daily agenda that does not require sneaking off to some unused meeting room and locking the door.

Having corporate approval for a nap at my desk would definitely be much less embarrassing that trying to snag the milking rooms… err…lactation rooms that my employer so kindly offers to women with young children. They have it made… a door that locks! a couch to nap on! a fridge to hold snacks! okay… ‘maybe’ the fridge isn’t for snacks, but it doesn’t make me any less jealous… Anyway, back to the topic at hand…

Take a nap!!! do it for your heart! 🙂 There is even one company that sells sleeping pods to businesses.  I want one for my cube! In the study one doc was quoted as saying “Having a siesta reduces your probability of dying by about one third”, “If you have a sofa in your office, go right ahead and take a snooze.”  That’s good enough for me! 

According to a Cornell University study, “sleep-deprived workers cost U.S. industry $150 billion a year in reduced job productivity and fatigue-related accidents”  so it’s GOOD FOR BUSINESS!  The study also included women and says “It is likely that women reap similar benefits from napping, but not enough of them died during the study to be sure”. ironic… sounds a bit like they were sad that more didn’t die? hmm… moving on…

The study also states “some offices allow on-the-job naps, and many workers say it makes them more, not less, productive.” Yep… proof positive! if you want to get more work done… take more naps!

Lastly I want to focus on my new hero… it’s a it’s a guy by the name of Mark Ekenbarger. I think I want his job! “Yarde Metals, a metals distributing firm, built a nap room at its Southington, Connecticut, headquarters as part of an employee wellness program. With two leather sofas, fluffy pillows, soft lighting and an alarm clock, it is the perfect place for a quick snooze, engineer Mark Ekenbarger said. “He then went on to say that he “frequently takes half-hour naps on the advice of his doctor to reduce stress.” and “It really does energize me for the rest of the day”.

I bet it does! If I could take ‘frequent’ half-hour naps at my job everyday i’d feel pretty energized too. Lets Give it up for Mark… MY HERO!!! I say we start a petition to institute a national ‘Mark Ekenbarger Holiday’. It’s a day where you still go to work, but all you do is sleep. 

Harvard-trained research scientist Sara Mednick, author of the book “Take a Nap! Change your life.” told CTV News recently that sleep deprivation can lead to a whole host of health problems such as increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, decreased libido and obesity. Obesity!?!

So not only is not taking naps making me less productive, and at a higher risk for heart attack… but it’s making me fat too!!! Maybe I need to link this to the bacon grease diet?  So there you have it… take more naps! Doctors Advice!

a degree in cleaning bathrooms

The World Toilet College in Singapore is starting to offer a 64-hour course to certify trainees as “restroom specialists”.  That seems like a lot of training on cleaning bathrooms.  But the city is promoting it for all 5,000 of its toilet cleaners, and the workers who complete it will get about a 27% raise, so obviously it’s a big deal to them.

Also from the article :

In November last year, the government released new guidelines for public toilet usage to cut down on long lines at women’s restrooms.  It has also published maps to Singapore’s 500 cleanest public toilets, and awarded “five-star” or “Happy Toilet” ratings to those with spic-and-span interiors.

The map of the cleanest public toilets sounds like a good idea.  I’m not really sure what the new “guidelines” are for public toilet usage…

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker – top boffins

Bunsen and Beaker

In a UK poll of favorite cult TV boffins (nerdy scientists), Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker won, beating out some rather impressive competition :

1. Honeydew and Beaker (The Muppets) – 33%
2. Mr Spock (Star Trek) – 15%
3. The Doctor (Dr Who) – 13%
4. Q (James Bond) – 9%
5. Dr Emmett Brown (Back To The Future) – 8%
6. Dana Scully (The X Files) – 8%
7. Dr Strangelove – 5%
8. Frank ‘N’ Furter (Rocky Horror Picture Show) – 4%
9. Dr Evil (Austin Powers) -4%
10. Dr Frankenstein – 1%

If you aren’t familiar with them, they attempt crazy experiments which usually end up destroying their Muppet Labs facility.  Dr. Honeydew’s motto is, “Where the future is being made today.”  But what usually happens is his assistant Beaker being blown to bits or electrocuted.

In the poll, there were more than 40,000 votes cast, so this is not a small thing.  The survey was done to mark the British Association’s Festival of Science in Exeter.  The president of the BA at that time, Dame Julia Higgins, said, “I’m not sure that Dr. Honeydew is quite the role model we would be looking at for a responsible scientist.”  Yeah, probably not.  But he’s funny!  A professor taking part in the festival said, “I think the fact that they are acceptable, humorous — although they blow each other up a bit — but they are fundamentally human, I think says something about science.”  Uhh… WHAT?!?  I think his statement says something about his lack of knowledge about muppets, humans, and science.  He might want to rethink his position on that.

BeakerHere’s some of the things Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker invented and tested (links are to video clips) : edible paper clips, a gorilla detector, hair-growing tonic, a banana sharpener, a robot politician, a germ enlarger, a super-strength copy machine, and an electric nose warmer.  Also, in response to the ancient quest of alchemy to turn lead into gold, he created a device that turned gold into cottage cheese.  Definitely some random stuff!

“Dreaming as a Goal.”

check out this short article (attached in full below, but it is found here)

“Every Monday this month we focus on some fun and healthy goals to consider in this New Year!A healthy (and inspiring) goal for 2007: Embrace daydreaming. Harnessing the power of visual imagination is an efficient and enjoyable way to activate the relaxation response. Try picturing a place from your past, where you felt happy, secure, and peaceful. Then imagine yourself there, making all the sensory impressions – smells, sounds, sights – as sharp as possible. Daydreaming is a simple, cost-effective way to feel happier and calmer in no time” 

Well… there we have it folks…  It’s official…  I have just set my new-years resolution…

“Dreaming as a Goal.” This year I hereby pledge to daydream more! being it is a “simple, cost-effective way to feel happier and calmer”.   In order to obtain and maintain Maximum relaxation… I feel i’ll need to do this at the top of every hour… for at least 30 minutes or so.  If my boss happens to catch me I just tell them that i’m following the lastest cutting-edge health advice!  since it IS a goal i wonder If I should add this to my list of objectives and accomplishments?  I think I’ll put it just after “take more naps during the day” and before “take plenty of breaks”.  What do you think?  what are some other ‘goals’ you’ve set for yourself this year? you can either post here or at the ‘new years resolution 2007’ post. found (here)