Believe it or not, your body wasn’t designed to work 9 to 5 without rest. Most executives work even longer hours, however, and when they call it a night, restlessness prevails.

Add hectic business travel–airports, flying, noisy or uncomfortable hotel rooms–to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for exhaustion. Thank you, anxiety.

Dr. Charles Kimmelman, an ear, nose and throat specialist based in New York City, helps patients who suffer from sleep difficulties as a result of complications while traveling. One of the most common problems is sleep apnea, characterized by interrupted breathing during sleep. Loud snoring is a primary symptom. It afflicts 40% of the U.S. population, he said, and is exacerbated by obesity.

A study released this month by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention draws a connection between irregular sleep patterns and obesity. A survey of 87,000 adults over two years found that individuals who slept fewer than six hours a night or more than nine, are more likely to be obese.

Kimmelman works with patients on improving their sleep practices. He is a major proponent of the nap, though he understands that it’s impossible for most people in the workforce to abandon their jobs midday to catch some z’s.

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Get Quotes:   “Naps are very, very good,” he said. “In evolutionary terms, our bodies aren’t meant to go 9 to 5.”

Explain that to your boss.