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The debate on the benefits of naps at work certainly picked up steam this year. Now, a new Gallup poll shows that in the U.S. “40% get less than the recommended amount of sleep.”

And while the amount of sleep we get has remained relatively constant over the last decades, it is much lower than in previous generations. Reports Gallup: “Medical studies have related a lack of sleep to health problems and cognitive impairment. Therefore, experts typically recommend seven to nine hours sleep for adults. Currently, 59% of U.S. adults meet that standard, but in 1942, 84% did. That means four in 10 Americans get less than the recommended amount of nightly sleep, compared with the 11% who did so 70 years ago.”

With the lack of sleep at home, many workplaces are considering the benefits of allowing naps at the office. Indeed, multiple studies show a relationship between amount of sleep and performance at work, especially memory. The Week published four “research-backed reasons you should be allowed to nap at work.” Among the reasons:

• Naps help you learn new information
• Naps makes you more productive
• Naps can give you a jolt of creativity
• Naps will make you more pleasant to be around