Getting enough Zs could be the secret for more Ws for one up-and-coming Big Ten squad.

The New York Times reports the secret to Northwestern's success may be in part thanks to an extra emphasis coach Pat Fitzgerald is putting on his players' sleep patterns.

According to the report, players have been wearing sensor armbands to track how much sleep and throughout his 7-year tenure at Northwestern, Fitzgerald has adjusted practice schedules according to game times each week. Starting last season, he implemented a nap time on game day.

"What they're doing is taking existing sleep research and translating it into a program designed for their athletes that they hope will improve not only athletic performance, but also a whole bunch of other things,” Northwestern professor Emma Adam told the newspaper. “Sleep has effects on cognition, your attention, your memory, your mood, your metabolism, your appetite -- it affects so many different things."

Northwestern went 10-3 last season and defeated Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl for the school's first bowl win since 1949. It has started 3-0 this season with wins against Cal, Syracuse and Western Michigan, and ranks No. 18 in this week's AP poll.

Check out the full report here, and maybe send it to your boss to justify getting a mid-day snooze in.