Parliament: short sleep during session, power naps proposed

Context

In brief

• 16 members of the National Council and Council of States slept 6 hours and 10 minutes
• During sessions, about 50 minutes less than usual
• Björn Rasch proposes spaces for power naps at the Federal Palace
• Alcohol and sleeping pills affect the quality of rest

Key facts

• Who → members of the National Council and Council of States
• Sample → 16 MPs and senators
• Average → six hours and ten minutes per night
• Difference → about 50 minutes less than usual
• Proposed location → Federal Palace
• Researcher → Björn Rasch, University of Fribourg
• Objective → maintaining politicians' efficiency

Six hours and ten minutes of sleep per night: this is the average recorded during sessions by members of the National Council and Council of States. The figure, about 50 minutes below the usual duration, emerges from a study conducted at the University of Fribourg on 16 MPs and senators. Björn Rasch, 51, a sleep researcher and professor at the University of Fribourg, is the professional cited in the study. Blick reported on the study today.

The figure and the proposal

For Rasch, tiredness is not a secondary detail. Tired people, he explains, tend to make riskier decisions than those who are rested. Those who sleep less, he adds, also have more difficulty assimilating information. In a Parliament called upon to discuss and make decisions during sessions, the connection between sleep and performance therefore becomes the focus of his proposal.

The scholar calls for spaces at the Federal Palace for short naps during the day. The so-called power naps, according to Rasch, actually increase performance capacity. The solution, in his words, is not to leave parliamentarians sitting in the chamber, awake but tired: «If a parliamentarian fell asleep in the chamber, it would immediately be a scandal; leaving them sitting, awake but tired, is not a solution: why not create spaces for recovery?». A rest room would, in his view, be a pragmatic approach to maintaining politicians' efficiency.

Alcohol, sleeping pills and health

The quality of rest is also linked to alcoholic drinks often present at aperitifs on the sidelines of sessions. Alcohol can help one fall asleep, but in the second half of the night one wakes more often and remains awake longer. Sleeping pills help one fall asleep, without guaranteeing restorative rest; the study shows that only a minority of parliamentarians use them, in line with the general population.

Rasch argues that sleep should have greater priority in the national health strategy. From sleep disorders, he says, one can understand how stressed a person is; if they appear, the risk of burnout after two years increases. The researcher finally points to children and adolescents: when it comes to sleep, he concludes, more should be said at school. For the overall health picture, the reader can pair this news with the guide LAMal/cassa malati from Frontaliere Ticino.

Operational details

The national significance of the news is not presented as a new rule for workers, but as an issue related to the quality of decisions made during federal sessions. The source explicitly links fatigue to riskier decisions and a reduced ability to absorb information. For this reason, Rasch's proposal concerns the organization of the Federal Palace and, more generally, the national health strategy.

What can be gleaned from the data

The sample consists of 16 deputies and senators. The text does not present it as a snapshot of the entire population and does not offer separate results for groups, sessions, or contexts. The only comparison indicated is with the usual sleep duration of those same parliamentarians: about 50 minutes more than the six hours and ten minutes recorded during the sessions.

The distinction matters because the proposal does not present the nap as a convenience, but rather as a tool to support performance. At the same time, the source does not indicate an already implemented project, costs, a timetable, or an authority tasked with creating the room. The data therefore fuels an organizational debate; it does not describe an adopted measure.

The passage on alcohol and sleeping pills also broadens the analysis: what matters is not only the time spent in bed, but also how the second half of the night unfolds and whether the rest is restorative. The source specifies that only a minority of parliamentarians use sleeping pills, in line with the general population; however, it does not offer any other figures.

The political follow-up indicated by Rasch is twofold: intervene earlier when sleep disorders signal stress and bring the issue into schools for children and adolescents. These are directions for action, not an already defined program. To read about this topic alongside the other daily dossiers, the site also offers the guide on costo della vita in Svizzera.

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Key points

To turn the news into an actionable outline, the reader can follow four steps. These are reading and discussion steps, because the source does not indicate an administrative procedure, a deadline, or an obligation to follow.

Four steps for reading the proposal

1. Separate the finding from the proposal. The first element is the survey of parliamentarians during sessions, with a shorter-than-usual sleep duration. The second is the idea of providing spaces for short naps at the Federal Palace. Treating the room as a proposal by Björn Rasch avoids presenting it as a decision that has already been adopted.

2. Look at quality, not just duration. The source mentions aperitifs with alcoholic beverages and explains that alcohol can make it easier to fall asleep, but can also lead to more frequent awakenings in the second half of the night. The same text specifies that sleeping pills help one fall asleep, without ensuring restorative rest. These are the two elements to keep distinct when assessing the issue.

3. Consider sleep as a possible sign of stress. Rasch argues that sleep disorders can reveal how much pressure a person is under and that, in such cases, it would be useful to intervene early. The source also links the disorders to an increased risk of burnout after two years, without indicating a specific path or an authority to turn to.

4. Extend the discussion to children and adolescents. The researcher concludes that sleep should be discussed more at school. Here too, the source indicates a direction, but does not describe an educational program, a deadline, or a concrete measure.

To follow the development of the issue, the point to observe is therefore the possible transition from the proposal for a room for rest to giving sleep greater priority in the national health strategy. To complete the reading with a practical tool from Frontaliere Ticino, use calcolatore stipendio/imposte.

Source: swissinfo.ch