In a poll by the East of England Development Agency, a third of those asked claim their brains go in to creative overdrive just before they go to sleep.

In direct contrast only 11% thought people had their top ideas at work.

Apart from providing beds at work, bosses could adopt some of the other recommendations for the office found in the report.

They including decorating spaces with flowers and plants, providing a separate 'creativity' room and supplying a selection of food and drinks for employees.

Would a bed at work boost your creativity? What could you boss do to increase idea generation?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Why not simply put a notepad and pen next to your bed at home to jot down these ideas C Wilmer, UK

Instead of installing beds at work, why not simply put a notepad and pen next to your bed at home to jot down these ideas - Surely a little more cost effective?
C Wilmer, UK

It might help me internally inspect my eyelids at work yes, but as for creativity, I don't think so. The only benefit that I can see is for severe headache sufferers who may benefit from an hour lying down in a quiet room rather than having to take the rest of the day off.
Zoe, England

I doubt that beds in the workplace will boost workplace creativity. They might, however, boost workplace sexuality. We should all be so hopeful.
Shiva, Los Angeles, CA

I am at most creative when I am work...trying to think of ways to escape from here!
Scott , London

How about companies installing hot tubs for people Pauline, Halifax

I get most of my best ideas while soaking in the bath - I am sure I am not alone - how about companies installing hot tubs for people with my proclivities?
Pauline Fothergill, Halifax, West Yorkshire

Am working at a Japanese firm, therefore the phrase of "power nap" is simply anachronistic. Work, work, work, till you die is the Japanese motto, which I cannot subscribe to.
Mary McCannon, Budapest, Hungary

Not convinced by the increased creativity, but love the idea. A three day working week and more holidays would be good too. Free bar at lunchtime, with juke box and dancing girls. What a wonderful world it would be, nothing would ever get done, but it would be fun.
Chris, Bradford, UK

I can't think of anything worse than going for a doze on a bed that half of my mangey, filthy, sweaty, dirty and unclean work mates have been kipping on!
Jon, Manchester

Getting a desk and chair on a permanent basis is a bonus John, Ashtead, Surrey

Beds at work huh? The organisation I work for is currently strapped for office space, so getting a desk and chair on a permanent basis is a bonus in these days of downsizing and working more flexibly. Surely employers could save money on actually buying beds for the office by encouraging people to work from home more - a phrase that covers a multitude of sins including - I suspect, lying in on company time.
John, Ashtead, Surrey

Here in Scotland, there are thousands of publicly available "creativity rooms", available on a pay-as-you-go basis, in any major town. We call them "pubs".
Sean, Glasgow

Beds at work? Give me a break - I already spend enough of my life there. If they had beds, I may as well sell my home as I would be expected to never leave. I'm sure the company would love that!!
Richard Scott, Iver, UK

You only need to watch politicians being completely creative in the two Houses of Parliament Paul Mellor, Westcliff on Sea, England

The idea of installing beds is a totally unnecessary expense. I know a number of people who have perfected the skill of being able to sleep at their computer screen in a sedentary position. Indeed you only need to watch politicians being completely creative in the two Houses of Parliament.
Paul Mellor, Westcliff on Sea, England

As an engineer, I had a bed in my office in the 1980's. If the desalination plants crashed we ALL had to stay on site until they were up and running again. The bright ideas soon appear after 72 hours at work!!
Keith, Chepstow, Wales and Doha, Qatar

We "do" have a bed at work, and it's a great facility for developing creative ideas. Instead of being drowsy all afternoon, a 20 minute 'power nap' and I'm refreshed and recharged. I often wake up with renewed enthusiasm for tackling a problem on which I'd previously been stuck.
A Research Scientist, Harlow, UK

Here's an idea - keep a pen and paper by your bed, and WRITE it down if you think it as you're lying in bed.. Simple solution.
Peter Critchley, Hertford, UK

I get my best ideas at work while sitting on the toilet. I don't need a bed in the office, I can solve most problems with that short break.
Danny, Bristol

In my old job, I used to sneak downstairs to an empty committee room for a 20 minute nap most afternoons. It did me the world of good. The "power-nap" is particularly effective, post fry-up, as part of a general hangover cure
Gareth, London, UK

My sister works for a public relations company in Fulham and they have had a "chill-out room" - including beds - for years. Strange thing is, the actual amount of people using them is very minimal! In other words - having an incentive to sleep at work can actually work in the employer's favour because to use them would mean you were slacking off and thus you would be seen as a lazy worker!
Dave Rogers, London

This sounds like trying to "force" creativity to me. Like trying to force people to have fun, it never works. It must be spontaneous. As soon as you say "this is the creative room", nothing creative will "ever" happen there again. I work from home and if I ever have a brainwave, it's usually while waiting for the kettle to boil or outside in the garden with my dogs.
Anonymous

It would certainly make the staff party more interesting anyway!
Chrissy Mouse, London, UK

Absenteeism is down, sick days are less Matthew Joynes, London

We already have 2 beds at work. They don't get used as much as you think but for some people it has worked wonders. Most people in the office have used them once or twice a month, not more. Absenteeism is down, sick days are less. A pressured business requires a more sensible attitude to productivity. I am off for a nap now.
Matthew Joynes, London

Well, speaking personally I'd say the one time I have good new ideas apart from at my desk is on smoke breaks. Perhaps we should therefore make smoking compulsory at work (but not in the workplace, as the benefit is gained from removing myself from the stress for a few minutes)! Can't say I have many bright ideas at home though - perhaps I make too much of an effort to switch off after I leave the office?
Ian, Edinburgh, UK

Companies such as the one I used to work for already have bedrooms in the office - for people working late or overnight. Spread that idea around and I'll bet it becomes another excuse for bosses to get employees to work later - after all, there won't be the 'last train home' reason any more.
Katherine, London, UK

After a 30-45minute siesta between my working day, I always feel better and motivated to do my work. I am not so sure about creative. But that is definitely food for thought!
Paulina, New York, NY

I run a computer software company and we have a policy that you must do a certain amount of hours per week. However, I do allow my employees to go for a nap if they are tired. Basically if they don't they will be unproductive all day and that costs me money. After a nap they tend to work much harder for the whole day... so it can work.
Steve, Worthing

A professional is at work even though he or she is not in the office. You get a good idea in bed one night, so you bring it to work the next day. Creativity is a state of mind that can happen at any hour under any circumstances. It is not a piece of office equipment that can be switched on and off.
Nigel Wilson, Buckingham, UK

Can you imagine the acceptable excuses for taking a nap? Roger, London

Installing beds at work will promote one thing and one thing only...laziness. Can you imagine the acceptable excuses for taking a nap? I'm working. I'm in my creative zone. I'm on the verge of a creative breakthrough. Give me a break.
Roger, London

I used to have a snooze in the loo at work. A swift five winks can be refreshing. Beds would also be useful during Xmas bashes.
Sleepy foot, London

I don't need a bed - I can fall asleep quite easily at my desk!
Claire, UK

I work for a large corporation in the US and we have spaces set aside for 'quiet' time. They don't seem to be used by many but can be good if you need to take a quick break and relax for a few minutes in a reclining chair.
Matthew, USA, ex-pat English

We all know that bringing beds into the workplace would only promote one thing...and it ain't sleeping.
Al, London

Making work places more relaxed could prove more productive Glenn J, UK

So only 11% had creative ideas at work. Could this be due to more stressed environments and that people have their more creative ideas in a relaxed environment? Making work places more relaxed could prove more productive. As for installing beds at work....well that's just plain daft as this will, I'm sure, be open to abuse.
Glenn J, UK

Why not just let more people work from home?
Alison, Edinburgh, Scotland

I know I work better when there is a relaxed atmosphere at work. Not sure about installing beds though - I'd get lazy and sleep all day!
Anonymous, Cardiff

Beds at work would only boost... sleep? Mind you, not such a bad idea, the siesta.
Wendy, UK

Contrary to what "creatives" would like you to believe, creativity is easy. Go into any meeting room in any company in the country and for the price of a box of donuts you can have more ideas than you know what to do with. Some of those ideas will be pretty good too. But the real skill, the thing that is really in short supply, is the ability to take an idea and turn it into a real product that people can use.
Guy Hammond, London, England

I don't think any creative would deny that having 'blue sky' ideas about anything is easy. Unfortunately there are no jobs in the creative industry that are like that. Most start with a brief that provides very tight boundaries you have to work within (appeal to this target audience, increase sales by that percentage). Guy's attitude is unfortunately all too commonplace in this country and means we are leagues behind the rest of Europe and the world in attributing value to the creative industries. Beds at work will not help this change...
Jules, Middlesbrough

The best way to improve creativity is to foster a working environment where people feel valued John B, UK

I am fortunate to have a boss who is more interested in the work I produce than in the amount of time I spend at my desk. I get a lot of inspiration during what a lot of managers call "dead time", such as time spent chatting at the coffee machine. The more progressive managers who will endorse these ideas will probably already be doing something similar, while the more traditional managers who measure working hours first and output second are unlikely to condone sleeping on the job. The best way to improve creativity is to foster a working environment where people feel valued and where ideas can be put on the proverbial table without fear of ridicule.
John B, UK

To be honest, I am sat at my desk, ready to fall asleep at any moment and I can't say I have had ANY productive ideas. However, I am all for it!
Paul, Droitwich, UK

Ideas come at this time of night because you tend to be a lot more relaxed and less under stress, plus unlike in work you don't have to think of lots of different things at once. Beds at work wouldn't really be effective because you'll still have it in your mind that you are at work, and there will still be things like deadlines for coming up with ideas, all of which will create stress and hamper creation of ideas.
Nathan James, Liverpool

It would be great for employees to get a mid-afternoon siesta right after lunch. But I would hate to be disturbed just before falling asleep, having my boss asking me for bright ideas. More food, more sleep, more money - that's my motto.
Christos, UK