Nap boxes are here to enable workers to sleep standing up

Virgin Radio

19 Jul 2022, 08:42

You know the feeling. You’ve had a late night, or a particularly heavy lunch, and you’re starting to feel somewhat sleepy at work. Your eyelids are getting increasingly heavy, the end of the day seems a lifetime away, and all you want is a cheeky power nap. 

Well, the interesting news is that “nap boxes” have been invented to enable workers to have a quick sleep at work.

Somebody pass us a pillow, and we’ll see you in 20 minutes!

Actually, the Itoki nap boxes have been created in Japan to allow staff to have a quick kip standing up while working long hours. Office workers in Japan are known to put in some seriously long hours, with one in four companies reportedly requiring employees to work more than 80 hours of (often unpaid) overtime every month.

Sleeping at work featured in popular US sitcom Seinfeld, when George Costanza set up his own ‘nap desk’, and Japan even has a word for sleeping on duty - “Inemuri.”

The new invention, which supports the head, rear and knees, is being introduced in the hope that it will encourage a healthier office culture in Japan. The nap box was created after a coming-together between furniture specialist Itoki and plywood supplier Koyoju Gohan.

Itoki communications director Saeko Kawashima told Bloomberg News: “In Japan, there are a lot of people who will lock themselves up in the bathroom for a while which I don’t think is healthy. It’s better to sleep in a comfortable location.”

Twitter users weren’t so sure about the new nap boxes. One wrote: “Claustrophobia kicked in just by looking at it, hard pass.”

Another added: “Not for me.”

One person seemed keen though, saying: “I need a nap box please.”