Recent Zzzzz News:

Should air-traffic controllers be able to take naps on their breaks?

March 26, 2011 - Take a look outside. We're looking out at new buds on the maple trees along with a host of springy flowers - daffodils, narcissus, grape hyacinths and more - a bright, energizing sight to be sure. Imagine that you are an air traffic controller. What do you look at all day and by all day, we mean 8 hours at a stretch? A radar screen. Not flowers, not trees, but a black screen with a maze of wiggly little lines and outlines. Military veterans tell us that "Radar will hypnotise you over time."

So the Wall Street Journal posed the question in our headline to their readers today. Here's how folks have voted so far:


One reader, David McQueen, a former professional soldier and truck driver commented, "The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (an agency of the US Department of Transportation) doesn't have a problem with truckers pulling off the road to take a nap. Why does the Sec. of the DOT (Ray LaHood) not allow ATCs to do the same on their breaks?".

Dr. Luis Urbina, another WSJ reader pointed out the following. "As a Board Certified Sleep Medicine specialist, I fail to understand how anyone could argue against the value of a power nap. Sleep HAPPENS, and is a consequence of being awake for an extended period of time. The only thing that really relieves sleepiness, is, guess what, sleep. A power nap should be encouraged, not frowned upon. Napping stations should be widely available in workplaces, particularly in those situations where critical thinking is imperative, like control towers."

What do you think?

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