How to catch a quick nap in NYC
Eyewitness News
(New York - WABC, March 12, 2007) - Do you find yourself dragging during the day, and that a little shut eye would pull you through?
What if you could catch a cat nap somewhere cozy, and return to work feeling refreshed? Eyewitness News reporter Lauren Glassberg has just the place.
Victoria Ross hasn't gotten a whole lot of sleep lately.
"I've been traveling, so I've had a cumulative of about 12 hours in the last five days," she said. "So I'm pretty tired."
She's hoping a place called Yelo will help her catch up.
Inside the sleek and serene Midtown space are seven private chambers, designed to induce sleep.
"I was very exhausted most of the time," Nicolas Ronco said.
Ronco's own exhaustion inspired him to create these napping nooks to help revive the tired masses.
Lauren: You nap here and it will benefit your whole existence.
Ronco: Absolutely. And that's something that was really important to me from the get-go, which is really to help people, particularly in a city like New York, where the main thing that we're lacking is space and time, and giving back people's space and time," he said.
Victoria settled into her chair with a cashmere blanket. She begins with a little reflexology, which costs more than just a nap, but can help get you to that twilight state.
Thirty minutes later, the lights are turned down. Music is an option. There are 5,000 playlists and channels to choose from, but there are some restrictions.
"The only thing you cannot listen to is hip hop and hard rock, because we don't think it's relaxing," Ronco said.
Naps run 20 minutes for $12 or 40 minutes for $24 dollars. And when your time is up, an LED light will begin to brighten, as though you're waking up with the sun. Sound too good to be true? Just ask Victoria.
"I was skeptical about the power nap," she said. "Whether or not I'd fall asleep, and I did. I was out cold."
And now she's ready to seize the day, again.
Labels: nap, power nap, powernap
THE WATER COOLER
Nap more effective than coffee
Associated Press
Published March 12, 2007
If you feel like you're dragging at work, try grabbing a pillow instead of gulping down a latte. Catching some Z's at the office might seem like the worst thing to do when you're behind, but napping can improve productivity, according to sleep scientist Sara Mednick, a professor at the University of California-San Diego and author of "Take a Nap! Change Your Life."
That daily 20-minute run to the coffeehouse would be better spent either catching up on missed sleep or supplementing the eight hours you got the night before. Research shows performance on memory tasks improves more following a nap than after a dose of caffeine, which provides only a short-term buzz, Mednick said.
"Most people are not sleeping well," she said. "The average is about 6.7 hours a night."
Well-rested employees get along better with co-workers and feel more energized at the day's end, plus sleep better at night, Mednick said.
But don't count too many sheep while you're on the clock. After about half an hour you'll fall into a deep sleep that will leave you groggy when you wake up.
Labels: nap, power nap, powernap
Four Points partners with Nap doctor.
Monday, 12th March 2007
Source : Four Points by Sheraton
Four Points invites the sleep deprived to take a nap and celebrate national napping day, with tips from the renowned nap doctor.
Are you one of the 75 percent of adults who experiences daytime sleepiness? Studies show that over 50 percent of adult Americans are sleep-deprived, affecting productivity, stress and overall health. In keeping with the Four Points by Sheraton commitment to spreading the gospel of life’s Simple PleasuresSM, the brand has partnered with William A. Anthony**, Ph.D., also known as the Nap Doctor, to promote the benefits of a good nap and celebrate the eighth annual National Napping Day on Monday, March 12, 2007.
The Four Points by Sheraton brand is the official hotel sponsor of National Napping Day, which was created by Boston University Professor William A. Anthony**, Ph.D. and his wife Camille Anthony, president of The Napping Company, in 1999. National Napping Day follows on the heels of Daylight Savings Time when we all “spring forward” and lose a much-needed hour of sleep. Four Points is encouraging the public to make time for a little extra shut-eye and is sending thousands of weary travelers a virtual nap with tips on how to successfully sneak in a few extra winks.
Stop Stressing – Improve your Health and Take a Nap!
Did you know that the benefits of napping include increased alertness, lower stress levels, significantly reduced risk of heart disease and increased enthusiasm? Science has also shown that naps can have a positive effect on both mood and performance.
"Four Points is dedicated to spreading the benefits of a good nap with the sleep deprived public,” said Sandy Swider, vice president of Four Points by Sheraton. “There is nothing more satisfying and uncomplicated than a great afternoon nap and Four Points mantra is to share with the masses all of life’s simple pleasures, especially the ones that are good for you!”
"We applaud Four Points by Sheraton for recognizing the importance of taking the time to relax and recharge,” commented Professor Bill Anthony, Ph.D. “Four Points’ commitment to providing simple pleasures with little indulgences is a natural fit for National Napping Day.”
So what are you waiting for? Listed below is The Napping Company’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Nappers” to help you on your way to a better nap:
1. Announce your nap to yourself and if possible to your family, friends or colleagues.
For many people this has been the key step to guilt free, productive napping. By “announcing” your nap to yourself you are reinforcing and reminding yourself of the productivity and health benefits of napping.
2. Gather your napnomic devices
This much we know is true—nappers have certain devices that make their nap more pleasurable. We call these napnomic devices, i. e., things that assist you to nap. When you were a toddler, perhaps you had a teddy bear, a favorite blanket, a pacifier. Now that you are an adult napper you have put away your childish things, and have other napnomic devices. These might be certain pillows, your favorite bed, soft music, cool bed sheets, workout clothes, etc.
3. Insure a method for on-time awakening
Concern about on time awakening can ruin a good nap, so the Nap Doctor recommends nappers use wristwatches, clock or radio alarms to awaken successfully. When napping at a hotel the wakeup service can be used.
4. Insure control of your nap environment, including a plan to avoid nappus interruptus
Nappers need to feel secure in their nap, knowing not only that they have a method to wake up, but also that they will not be awakened prematurely, i.e., experience nappus interruptus. Common strategies are to shut off the phone, hold calls, and/or find an out-of-the way or secretive napping spot. Four Points nappers can use the doorknob sign asking for privacy.
5. Revel in the nap
Enjoy! No relevant suggestions here if you master the other six habits.
6. Deal with sleep inertia, if necessary
Sleep inertia is that groggy and slightly disorienting feeling that some nappers experience when awakening from a nap. Some people believe that if you nap about 40-60 minutes you will be waking up from a deep sleep and are more apt to experience sleep inertia. To combat sleep inertia they recommend naps of shorter duration (20-30 minutes).
7. Begin to plan your next nap as you awaken from this nap It is important to make napping opportunities a traditional part of your daily planning, even if you don’t always use the opportunity.
For travelers in need of a few extra winks, Four Points’ guests can indulge in a mid-day nap in the brand’s signature Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort Bed® - a multi-layered cocoon of comfort perfect to catch up on some much needed sleep. Labels: nap, power nap, powernap
Laura Robin, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, March 10, 2007 Jamaica: rum, reggae and rest.
In the latest travel trend -- one that adds a new wrinkle for an aging population -- an international public relations company is promoting luxury resorts not for their high-class cuisine or sumptuous suites, but as great places for an afternoon nap.
Andria Mitsakos Public Relations company came out this week with its Unofficial Best Places to Take a Nap Guide, highlighting destinations around the world that are "ideal for an afternoon siesta."
"We try to stay on top of the travel trends," said company spokeswoman Michelle Dumaine. "Napping definitely works with an older population."
Goldeneye, a resort in Jamaica, used to be famous as the exclusive spot where Ian Fleming wrote the exciting James Bond books. Now Dumaine's company is touting it as a perfect place for a snooze. "Stretch out under a celebrity-planted tree," it says.
The PR firm is not alone in identifying the trend. The idea is as contagious as a yawn. There is even a U.S. company, called MetroNaps, that has installed special sleep pods in the Vancouver airport and the Empire State Building, where you can pay to take a nap.
In a look at 2007 travel trends, writer Michael Martinez of the San Jose Mercury News identifies "man-cations" (trips for men), medical tourism (getting a facelift or your teeth whitened out of town), volunteer travel (doing good) and sleep programs. He quotes Sue Ellis, president of Spafinder.com, as saying that requests for information on spas with special sleep programs tripled in 2006 over the previous year. Ellis says more spas are installing "relaxation lounges" for napping, such as the one at Le Nordik, in Chelsea, Que.
So where are the best spots for a siesta?
Andria Mitsakos recommends more than a dozen around the world, from the once-famous-for-being-funky Nassau, in the Bahamas ("sleep in your favourite Bahamian Junkanoo coloured wooden chair on the pier") to Hacienda Xcanatun near Merida, Mexico, where, the company says, "sultry afternoons call for nap-time in handmade Yucatecan hammocks."
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007
Labels: nap, power nap, powernap
