The Pew Research Center has just published an interesting survey on naps and napping. It found that 34 percent of American adults had taken a nap in the past 24 hours. Men nap more than women, blacks more than whites and Hispanics, the unhappy more than the happy.

But we can’t help seeing a flaw in this survey, and we suspect, therefore, that it wasn’t written by a napper. For instance, instead of asking, “Have you napped in the past 24 hours?” Why not ask, “Do you nap often or regularly?” The Pew survey also examines the reasons Americans have trouble sleeping, as if trouble sleeping was the major precondition for a midday snooze. Regular nappers know that a good night’s sleep never precludes a good afternoon nap.

Something about the shape of this survey suggests  ever so slightly  that napping is aberrant behavior, a personal rebellion against workplace wakefulness. But how would the number of adult American nappers change if American businesses encouraged napping? If businesses knew, as all good nappers know, that a short nap is the best way to recharge yourself during the day?

We suspect the numbers would rise dramatically, proving that there is no hard and fast distinction between nappers and non-nappers, only a difference in opportunity. After all, napping is an entirely normal part of normal human sleep patterns. And studies have shown that short naps enhance alertness and productivity.