Napping is the New Smoking

I am a good employee. I am smart (yes, thank you), conscientious, and loyal. I have a fabulous work ethic. And yet, sometimes I take a nap at work.
This confession has been met with everything from dismay to disbelief. How could I? How dare I fall asleep in my workplace? I never really had an issue with it, but the extremity of some people's reactions made me feel as though I ought to defend my napping practices.
In my old career, napping was nearly a daily ritual. Sure, the days were one heck of a lot longer (two to three times, in fact) so it seemed completely justified, and we usually all had a shelf in the back of the camera truck to curl up on. It's interesting to bed down with your co-workers, like a mini sleepover in small, uncomfortable bunk beds. Or if it was summer time and you were on location, you could grab a patch of sunny grass. And if you were in a location or set that had actual beds, all you had to do was beat the Grips to it! Nice.
After the big career switch, at first the newness of having a sedentary job plus the overwhelming quiet prevalent in my department combined to make a lethal inducement to passing out in front of my computer. I would find myself suddenly jolting awake, one hand still loosely clutching the mouse, wondering how long I'd been out and if my cubicle neighbours had heard any snoring in the interim. For a while I was even worried that I might be becoming a narcoleptic, since I found it impossible to resist succumbing to those moments of unconsciousness. Now, I'm more accepting of my own need to nap.

Here's the thing -- it doesn't make me a bad employee. Seriously, it really doesn't. Consider this: I don't smoke. Long has "I don't smoke" been my battle cry that excuses many other vices. After all, is there anything that you do voluntarily that is worse for you than smoking? Nope. So what if I drink too much and eat crap? I don't smoke. I didn't exercise all winter? Yeah, but I don't smoke. However, in this instance, it is actually a valid comparison. Think about smokers at work. They've got to get up from their desks, make their way downstairs and outside, smoke a cigarette, chat a bit with the other smokers, and then make their way back to their desks and resume their work. Let's say all this takes an average of 15 minutes. I don't even know how long it takes to actually smoke a cigarette, but I think my guess is probably even on the skinny side. And they do this at least twice, probably more, times a day. That's a minimum of 30 minutes spent not working, and possibly up to an hour.
So if I need a little 20 minute shut-eye in the middle of the day, well, excuse me for not feeling guilty about it. Plus, I don't smell disgusting when I'm done. And yet napping is frowned upon, where smoke breaks are still accepted. Really, which one should we encourage? The unhealthy habit or the healthy one?
If I need a little break, I don't want to have to pretend to be a smoker, the way I did in high school. I would like to advocate a new openness about napping at work. It's healthy! It increases productivity! The Europeans have it right, shutting down for siesta right around the time your body (and mind) is craving a little rest.
Let's turn out the lights, grab a cozy sweater and lean back in our ergonomic chairs.
Let the computer go to screen saver.
Take a few deep breaths.

Wake up feeling sooo much better.

Excuse me, it's time for my afternoon nap.