Do you sleep on the job? If your answer is yes, snooze right on because it could be great for you and even better for your boss.

At least that's what Dr William Anthony, who co-authored The Art Of Napping At Work with his wife, Camille, told health website WebMD.

He maintains that a power nap of about 20 minutes has been proven to increase alertness and overall productivity in workers.

Dr Anthony, who says that the post-nap energy spike can last for several hours, has a couch with a homemade Afghan blanket in his own office at Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation.

Not many bosses may agree. Dr Anthony said: 'People think nappers are slothful or lazy. Look at the words surrounding napping: stealing a nap or getting caught napping - they're all pejorative.'

He said that employers often tell him they aren't paying people to sleep. But he thinks a little shut-eye on the job is even better than what employees already have a right to - lunch or coffee breaks.

Dr Anthony's informal surveys have revealed that while women are more sleep-deprived - for a combination of physiological and social reasons, such as their tendency to bear the brunt of childcare - they report more fear of napping during work hours.

'We were going to do a book on that but we haven't started yet,' Dr Anthony said. 'I guess we've been napping too much.'

This article is first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on August 6, 2008.