One in six Sheffield people have fallen asleep at work, survey reveals

Have you ever fallen asleep at your desk? (Photo: Wikipedia).

The recent poll also shows that 28% get "tired and grouchy" during the day and that one in five people in the city would support the introduction of a daily siesta or mid afternoon nap.

An online tool has now been launched in the UK to assist Britons seeking some mid-day shut-eye, after a recent survey revealed that many would support the introduction of British siestas; much like those observed in sunnier European climes, in spite of the hit-and-miss UK weather.

The team at interior-design company Hillarys designed The Nap Planner after commissioning a poll inspired by the nation’s love of napping.

The figures revealed that 37% had a nap ‘at least once a week’ with 9% polled stating that they ‘never’ took naps and 21% even admitted to napping ‘daily’.

When asked to name the places where they usually took their naps, the majority of the respondents stated ‘at home, on the sofa’ (84%), ‘at home, in bed’ (67%) or ‘at my parents’ house’ (51%). Of the less likely places to have a doze, a quarter of respondents (24%) confessed that they had taken a nap ‘in the car’ and a sixth of respondents (15%) had napped ‘at work’.

Meanwhile, a fifth of those surveyed (21%) confirmed that they would support the introduction of a UK siesta, with the majority citing reasons such as ‘I would be able to concentrate better if I could have a midday nap’ (54%) and ‘I get tired and grouchy at work around the middle of the day’ (28%).

The idea of a siesta involves taking a break of two to three hours in the middle of the day to eat and sleep and is popular in warmer European countries.

Helen Turnbull, spokesman for Hillarys said: "We all love a nap. Sometimes, it’s just what you need so you can face the rest of the day and there’s no harm in having a quick recharge of the batteries. The worst thing is when you plan a quick twenty-minute power nap and suddenly an hour has passed and you wake feeling panicked, rushed and groggy. That’s why we decided to come up with the Nap Planner, so Brits looking to catch a few midday zeds can make sure they are napping to the best of their ability!”