Naps

When I was a working reporter, "News You Can Use" was one of the consultant-driven tactics my station adopted to attract more viewers. For example, instead of just reporting on a brutal summer heatwave, highlight what people could do to avoid heatstroke. Instead of telling (or, preferably, ingoring) the story of a child left on a school bus, tell parents how they can keep this from happening to their little ones. That sort of thing.

Although many of my colleagues and I had nothing but contempt for the concept, and fought like wild animals to keep from doing such stories, most of the pieces did actually contain news that you could... you know... use.

This, however, would fall under the category of "News You Can Use Just As Soon As Hell Freezes Over And Not One Second Before." New research indicates that sleeping for short periods in the middle of the day, known in some cultures as "siestas" and in others as "napping," can make you:

healthier;

The study of more than 23,000 Greek adults -- the biggest and best investigation of the subject to date -- found that those who regularly took a midday siesta were more than 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease.

Other experts said the results were intriguing. Heart disease claims more than 650,000 Americans each year, making it the nation's No. 1 cause of death.

"It's interesting. A little siesta, a little snooze may be beneficial," said Gerald Fletcher, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., speaking on behalf of the American Heart Association. "It's simple, but it has a lot of promise."

and more productive at work.

Still, some offices allow on-the-job naps, and many workers say it makes them more, not less, productive.

Yarde Metals, a metals distributing firm, built a nap room at its Southington, Conn., headquarters as part of an employee wellness program. With two leather sofas, fluffy pillows, soft lighting and an alarm clock, it's the perfect place for a quick snooze, engineer Mark Ekenbarger said.

Ekenbarger, 56, has an enlarged heart artery and said he frequently takes half-hour naps on the advice of his doctor to reduce stress.

"It really does energize me for the rest of the day," Ekenbarger said.

American workers taking a nap in the middle of the day "has a lot of promise?" Promise to do what, get people fired?

We live in a political culture in which one of the nation's premier business organizations still doesn't accept the Family Medical Leave Act as settled law. I would like to see somebody make the case for naps. Hey, while we're asking for stuff, how about BMWs and Superbowl tickets for everybody?

News you can use? Yeah, as a punchline.