Dozing off at work

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I think I need to get more sleep than I do. 5 to 6 hours is about all I get most nights, simply because I can’t sleep for any longer than that. I’ve done all I can without taking sleep aids or seeing a doctor to get more sleep, but that’s not what this post is really about. I just want to know if anyone else has ever fallen asleep on the job and if there were any significant consequences because of it (getting counseled by supervisor, getting fired, co-workers ribbing you about it, causing an accident, etc). What things do you do to prevent it? I drink a Coke every morning and I listen to hard rock music through my headphones and chew gum, read the SDMB to break the monotony, and even get up and walk around a little if I have to, but I have still been known to unintentionally catch a couple of Zs in spite of doing these things to prevent workplace snoozing. One time I damn near dozed off in a meeting and it was embarrassing, especially when one guy I don’t like anyway gave me a hard time about it afterwards.

Sometimes while I am watching my computer screen while running tests I tend to nod off briefly (maybe 15 to 20 seconds) before realizing I’m at work and I can’t be doing this. Usually I don’t completely fall asleep, but if I do the effects of gravity on my overly relaxed body wake me back up before I tumble out of my chair. Since I face away from people who walk past my cubicle most probably don’t even pay attention or notice if my head is down or I am slumped down in my chair. Sometimes I get sleepy at home while in front of the computer, but at least there I have the option to lie down and take a nap if I feel I need it. At work obviously I don’t have this option.

2

Can you nap at work during lunch? That’s what several of my coworkers do. One even has a pair of dark glasses he puts on for his power nap.

One thing I found - when I quit drinking caffeinated beverages, I started sleeping longer and better at night. Just a thought.

3

Napping at work is generally frowned uponnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

::slurp::
::wiping drool from keyboard::

sorry…

4

I suppose could nap during lunch if I really needed to, but it wouldn’t look good for someone to walk by and seeing me asleep at my desk, even if I were on my lunch break. I only take a half hour for my lunch and I’d rather spend this time getting something to eat.

I do hold off on caffeine by late afternoon and into the evening, but perhaps I need to cut out the caffeine altogether and see if that helps to improve my sleep.

5

My advice short term…when in a meeting, sit next to someone that likes you and will give you a gentle nudge when you start to nod off.

My advice long term…find ways to get more sleep! You body is telling you that you’re not getting enough sleep at 5-6 hours. Listen to it. Try not eating or drinking anything other than water after a certain time (ie 9pm), try taking a nap when you get home from work, try to remove all caffeine from your diet, try working out every day.

6

Ooooh. I was just talking about this with someone during lunch. I was saying that I really need to learn to sleep with my eyes open so I can nap at work. Not sure how likely that is to happen, though.

When I used to work retail (I was the store manager) I’d go to my office for a couple hours some days when it was slow and curl up under my desk and nap. I was the only one that had a key to the office so no one would bother me, and if my employees needed anything they’d call me up front. It sure helped those nights I had to work a 5PM to 4AM shift and then open the next day.

7

I suppose you could print out this article on the benefits of napping

and pin it to your shirt as an emergency measure. “Yeah - I was just doing some research.”

8

Our office fired a guy for sleeping on the job. Can’t recommend doing it.

If I’m getting sleepy on the job, I take a 5-10 minute break and for a walk. The movement does a lot to help wake me up.

–Patch

9

If your meetings are large enough that there aren’t enough chairs for everybody and some people have to stand, be one of those people. It’s a lot harder to nod off if your standing.

Have you been checked to see if you have any kind of sleep apnea? My wife just got diagnosed as having this; once she started using the anti-vacuum cleaner so she could breathe and sleep at the same time, her daily exhaustion went away.

10

You might consider exercising after work. That should help you sleep better at night.

11

My manager told us that she always takes a bottle of water into meetings that she knows will be very boring, and tries to keep a mouthful of water in her mouth for as long as she can.

She said it is very difficult to nod off with a mouth full of water. I don’t know if there is any scientific basis for this, but you are probably so concerned with not dribbling any out, that you maintain alertness.

I’ve tried this in a couple of her staff meetings, and it seems to work.

12

Now I’m having a problem with laughing at work! :slight_smile: This cracked me up. I can imagine it would be much worse to nod off with water in your mouth. You wake to find everyone staring at you with water down your front. LOL!

dwc1970, it sounds like you do something similar to me (QA). I, also find that, while running long tests, I can’t use my machine, so I tend to get very sleepy.

Lately I have been taking naps on the toilet. I go in, do my business, clean up then, pants still around my ankles, take a short 10-15 minute nap. It’s quiet and warm and no one will bother you. Although my friends think I’m nuts. :slight_smile:

Also, try the old “prop up a paper on your desk so it looks like you’re reading it but you’re really napping” trick.

13

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far:

Ruby: Actually, I do this and the guy I sit next to has been kind enough on occasion to give me a light nudge. I do plan to hold off on the caffeine altogether and I will try getting to bed earlier each night. Really, there’s nothing I do at night that can’t wait until the next day and I just need to tell myself this each night. If I take a nap after I get home from work this usually works and keeps me going throughout the rest of the evening.

XJETGIRLX: When I was a manager in fast food they avoided having someone closing and then opening the next day and I’m glad I never had to do this. Does your company have any sort of policy against scheduling such shifts? Something like this could be dangerous, either while on the job or driving to/from work.

Papermache Prince: Thanks for the article link. I seriously think more companies need to allow for some quick nap time to increase overall worker productivity, as I have found at home that a short nap will rejuvenate me long enough to keep going for awhile longer.

patchbunny: Do you know or remember if this was his first offense or did they give him fair warning before he was canned?

Ethilrist: Plenty of room in the meeting room. There are chairs around the perimeter of the room to provide enough seating for everyone, which is where I usually sit. I am going to see my doctor next month anyway, so I am going to address my sleep concerns with him and ask him about the possibility of having sleep apnea.

Contrary: Now that the weather is warming up I plan to take an evening walk down to the end of my street and back, a distance of a few blocks each way.

Casey1505: I might have to consider the water bottle idea. Of course it would be my luck to have a mouth full of water just as, at the rare moment during these otherwise dull meetings, that someone will actually say something funny. Result: scattered showers for the lucky people sitting adjacent to and in front of me. I also read in a fairly recent thread that drinking plenty of water before a meeting is a good idea since it’s difficult to fall asleep with a full bladder nagging you to get to the bathroom soon, so I may try this tactic as well.

malaka: I think we have people at my workplace who actually do this. There will be someone sitting in the stall never making a noise (not that kind of noise, noise as in evidence of movement, wait, movement as in motion, not a bowel movement, ahh, never mind!) I’m a toilet shy person myself and I only use the toilets at work for #1, so I am reluctant to give co-workers the impression that I have been in there taking a long, relaxing dump for the past 15-20 minutes. Besides, someone else would likely come along shortly to take a noisy, farty and smelly turd-plopping shit and wake me from my porcelain slumber.

The computer screen I use for my testing (R&D) serves as a nice substitute for a paper that people will think I am reading when I am actually nodding off.

14

Become an airplane pilot and fly an overseas route. I hear those guys fall asleep all the time in the middle of their 6+ hour flights.

If something goes wrong, the Auto Pilot triggers an alarm and you wake up. No problem! :smiley:

15

Well, I was the store manager so I made the schedules. If driving was going to be a problem, I just slept in the store. The problem was that I couldn’t avoid having to work those shifts. SMs were required to work all inventory shifts (after the store closed at midnight), and we were also required to work the opening shift the day deliveries came in. Every now and again the two would conflict. I don’t work there anymore mostly because of the crazy hours, but it was a fun job.