You know that cup of coffee you are reaching for when you need an afternoon blast? You might be better off grabbing a pillow and finding a nice place for a quick nap. Studies show it is much healthier and increases your productivity.

"Everybody agrees that if you are sleep deprived, you can't learn, perform, or think very well," says Jerome Siegel, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sleep Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, in an American Psychological Association article.

Getting a nap break from work, especially during the holiday season, can recharge your battery. It can be extremely helpful for Americans with disabilities returning to the workforce.

“This can be very helpful as you ease back into work,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s Chief Operating Officer. “Companies are finding out giving their employees this break can be beneficial and increase productivity at their companies. We are sleep-deprived as a nation and that has long-term effects on employees. It can be costly to companies in terms of lost days because employees are out sick or not as productive daily. Mistakes can often be linked to tired employees.”  NTI helps Americans with disabilities find at-home employment with free job training and career placement services. You can register for free at www.ntiathome.org.

Studies have shown that giving your employees a 60 to 90- minute sleep break can have the same effort as when they come to work after getting eight hours of sleep. Employees learn better and have shown more alertness and better memory performances.

"What's amazing is that in a 90-minute nap, you can get the same (learning) benefits as an eight-hour sleep period," said Sara Mednick, Ph.D., psychologist at the University of California-Riverside, in an American Psychological Association article. "And actually, the nap is having an additive benefit on top of a good night of sleep."

A Rand Corporation study showed the lack of sleep is costing the United States workforce 1.2 million working days per year at a cost of approximately $411 billion.

“Our study shows that the effects from a lack of sleep are massive,” said Marco Hafner, the main author of the research and a leader at RAND Europe, a nonprofit organization. “Sleep deprivation not only influences an individual’s health and wellbeing but has a significant impact on a nation’s economy, with lower productivity levels and a higher mortality risk among workers.”

Companies are building nap rooms or finding ways to give their employees time to refresh their batteries during the day. A nap can offset a bad night of sleep while helping to reduce stress and anxiety at work.

“We know that lack of sleep is dangerous to a person’s health,” said Bertram. “Companies invest a lot of money in paying, training, and keeping their employees, so you can see where solutions to help their health and increase productivity are being tried. As more companies have things like nap rooms or designated sleep breaks and get good results from it, you are probably going to see more nap rooms at companies.”

(A nonprofit organization, NTI helps Americans with disabilities find at-home jobs working for Fortune 500, government organizations, large and small businesses. You can register for free at www.ntiathome.org.)