"Lying down for lunch break" is imperative

Folding chairs, small tents, nap rooms... Finally, you don't have to lie down to sleep! In order to help students have a "nap on campus", the school has come up with various tricks, which made adults exclaim "I want to go back to my school days" and strongly demanded the popularization of these methods.

Schools and companies add lunch break "artifact"

The 2022 China National Health Sleep White Paper shows that more than 70% of people in my country have the habit of taking a lunch break 1 to 3 times a week, and beds, desks, and sofas are the most popular places for lunch breaks. But the reality is that most students and working people do not get enough rest at noon, and most people can only take a short nap on the table.

Nowadays, these situations have ushered in new changes. Chongqing Yunyang Beicheng Primary School has equipped first-grade primary school students with "lie flat sleeping" desks and chairs for lunch break. After lunch, the desks and chairs can be put aside and they can rest in the classroom. A primary school in Xi'an purchased 300 sets of new desks and chairs. With the backs of the chairs pulled open, students can lie flat. Not only that, some primary school classrooms have automatic curtains and retractable beds. A primary school in Hangzhou has purchased a lot of "nap tents". During the lunch break, the small tents are set up in the classroom, which is very cute and can help primary school students take a good nap.

The issue of lunch breaks for people in the workplace has also attracted much attention. The "2022 China Youth in the Workplace Sleep Quality Report" shows that more than 70% of young people sleep less than 7 hours a day on average, causing persistent headaches, dizziness, anxiety, insomnia, inattention and memory loss.

Compared with primary and secondary school students, the care for naps of working people is obviously not enough. Working people who lack sleep are more likely to feel sleepy during the day, but many companies and enterprises do not have a dedicated nap space. Workers can only bring their own pillows and cushions to nap on the table for a simple rest. However, after waking up from a nap, the body is more tired and even has shoulder and neck pain.

"Sleeping flat" is more conducive to children's development and work efficiency

From sleeping on your stomach to sleeping lying down, this is a welcome progress. Students are a group that is seriously sleep-deprived, especially primary and secondary school students under the age of 12. In April 2021, the Ministry of Education's "Notice on Further Strengthening the Sleep Management of Primary and Secondary School Students" clearly required that the sleep time for primary/middle/high school students should reach 10/9/8 hours, respectively. But in fact, the average sleep time is only 7.65/7.48/6.5 hours, respectively, and the overall sleep time is still insufficient. Primary and secondary school students are in a critical period of growth and development. An appropriate lunch break can make up for some of the sleep gap, which is very important for children's health and learning.

For adults, lunch breaks are a good way to "restart" their energy. Research teams from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Shanghai Mental Health Center found that regular naps may lead to better mental agility than those who do not have the habit of taking naps. For working people, naps are associated with better positional awareness, language fluency, and working memory.

From a medical perspective, sleeping on one's stomach is the least recommended position for naps, whether for office workers or students. Even for adults, sleeping on one's stomach for a long time may cause problems such as spinal deformity and lumbar muscle strain. For students in the growth and development stage, sleeping on one's stomach can easily cause pressure on the eyeballs, damaging the cornea and retina; twisting the neck and compressing the upper body for a long time can also easily cause problems such as scoliosis, uneven shoulders, and poor chest development; if a child sleeps on his stomach right after lunch, it can easily cause indigestion and induce stomach problems.

The most ideal sleeping posture is naturally "lying in bed to sleep". The comfortable bed board and pillow can relax the shoulders and neck, stretch the spine, eliminate fatigue and restore energy. But not everyone needs a nap. For the elderly and children, a proper nap is necessary. But for adults, naps are "optional" and can be determined according to personal habits. Adults who have the habit of taking naps can stick to it, which helps to better study and work in the afternoon, but adults with severe insomnia are not recommended to take naps, otherwise they are more likely to suffer from insomnia at night.

It is difficult to promote the "lying down" lunch break

At present, many places treat the promotion of the "Sleeping Project" as a people's livelihood project. This is the value orientation of developing high-quality education, and it is also a humanistic concern for the physical and mental health of people in the workplace.

In reality, the "lying and sleeping project" faces many difficulties in promoting. Due to space restrictions and insufficient funds, it is difficult to promote it to every company and school. For example, the ventilation of indoor doors and windows, whether the sanitary environment meets the standards, whether the temperature is suitable during lunch break, the safety risk of "pinching hands" in folding tables and chairs, the unexpected problems of children playing and fighting during lunch break, and some children sleepwalking, all of which require emergency plans and detailed supporting facilities.

It is recommended that when space is limited, schools can make use of libraries, reading rooms, gymnasiums, functional classrooms, etc., activate resources around the school, adopt supine or semi-recumbent sleeping positions, and introduce folding tables and chairs and other "lying sleeping" facilities that are easy to operate flexibly.

People in the workplace also need naps. In the long run, adequate sleep can improve employee work efficiency and stimulate innovation and vitality. It is recommended that companies set aside lunch break time, purchase some folding beds, neck-protecting computer chairs, etc. in the office, and encourage employees to bring their own space-saving lunch break equipment.

In fact, you don't have to fall asleep during your lunch break. Even if you only sleep for a few minutes, it can help relieve fatigue. Some students and working people may not have the conditions and time to take a nap, but they can also relieve fatigue in other ways. Students can go to the library to read lively and interesting books to change their "brains", take a walk on the playground, and meditate in nature for ten minutes. Office workers can half-lean back on their office chairs, close their eyes and rest for a while, do some work break exercises, Tai Chi, yoga, etc.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone not to go to bed immediately after lunch. Half an hour interval is appropriate. The nap should be between 12 and 2 noon and last for about half an hour. Sleeping too long can easily affect your sleep at night.