The Minister of Health wants to encourage napping at work: these tips for a successful micro-nap

The Minister of Health says he is "very much in favor of napping" at work or at school. Yannick Neuder presented an inter-ministerial roadmap this Tuesday "in favor of quality sleep." Because the sleep of the French continues to deteriorate. An adult sleeps an average of 7 hours per night, 1.5 hours less than in 50 years.

Yannick Neuder therefore hopes that companies that can do so will be able to create quiet break areas that allow employees to take micro-naps, even though one in two French people complain of poor quality sleep.

Some have already taken the plunge. For Amaury, napping at work is a resounding yes, but only from home: "When I'm working from home, I always take a 20-minute nap after eating. I'm much more focused in the afternoon, the energy slump means my work will be less qualitative," he assures RMC .

"I get up at 2:30 a.m., I sleep 5 hours a night, I take naps in the truck," assures Geoffrey, auditor and truck driver.

According to a 2023 survey, nearly 70% of French people say they are in favor of introducing napping at work, but the practice makes Marie-Albane, a real estate agent, uncomfortable: "It's not very well seen, it's a bit lazy, it's not working time. I may have an old-fashioned view, but for me, we come, we work."

Despite popular belief, some companies are embracing naps. This is the case at Schneider Electric, where rest periods are permitted but supervised in designated rooms, as Julie Legoubin, Inclusion Director, explains:

"We don't control access; we want to guarantee a certain rotation of the space. We say 30 minutes, but if the person wants to rest several times a day because their situation requires it, they can go several times a day."

And a 10- to 30-minute nap can boost an employee's productivity by 34%, according to a NASA study.

You still need to be able to fall asleep and take an effective nap. Fortunately, there are a few tricks that exist for this. First, there's the " Napspresso ," a contraction of "nap" (nap in English) and espresso: "It's a pretty powerful nap," warns Maxime Elbaz, a doctor of neuroscience and sleep specialist, on RMC Story .

"You drink a double espresso before going to bed to take a nap. The coffee will take effect after 20 minutes, waking you up in a fairly stimulating way," he explains.

To fall asleep, you need to adopt a technique from the French army, square breathing, also adapted by Charlie Dalin , the last winner of the Vendée Globe: "You have to imagine that you are drawing a square in your head. You will breathe for 4 seconds, imagining the first side of the square, hold your breath for 4 seconds, imagine another side, breathe in again for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds and breathe out for 5 seconds and repeat this technique 12 times."

Once you've mastered the technique, you should be able to drift off to sleep, but be careful not to do it for too long: "You need a 20-minute nap, no more. If you sleep for more than 30 minutes, you'll be out of it," warns Maxime Elbaz.