Catching Z's on the Clock

An EnergyPod looks like something George Jetson might have used. It’s the world’s first chair designed specifically for napping in the workplace, according to Christopher Lindholst, CEO of MetroNaps, the New York-based creator of the chair.

Most workers are familiar with the afternoon slump — that dreaded energy crash that hits, like clockwork, halfway between lunch and quitting time. Nearly one-third of employees polled by the National Sleep Foundation reported falling asleep or becoming very sleepy at work, and losses in productivity associated with employee sleepiness cost the U.S. an estimated $63 billion annually.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE SLEEPING ON THE JOB 

The good news is that most fatigued employees just need a quick nap. Catnaps, research shows, can maintain or improve an employee’s performance and alertness for two to 12 hours post-nap. “Employees are about 30 percent more alert after a nap,” Lindholst says.

The EnergyPod features an ergonomically designed zero gravity chair, which reclines and contours at the knees, to relax low-back muscles. A privacy visor blocks out external distractions, while soothing music and voice guides help lull users to sleep. The EnergyPod is also equipped with lights and vibrations to aid in both sleep and waking, and there’s an alarm clock to ensure nappers don’t snooze too long.

In Colorado, Lindholst says that Colorado State University and the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus are waking up to the benefits of sleep, as they incorporate EnergyPods in their health centers and libraries.

Melissa DeSantis, director of library operations at Anschutz, acquired two EnergyPods for CU Anschutz’s Health Sciences Library last October during a campus-wide push for health and wellness amenities. So far, the pods have been a big hit with students who become exhausted during clinical rotations or marathon study sessions.

“We wanted to create a safe space where students could recharge,” DeSantis says, noting that EnergyPods checked all the boxes. “They’re fantastic.”

The EnergyPods at CU Anschutz are available to students 24/7 and tend to get the most traffic in the afternoons and early evenings. A single pod retails for $13,000, and MetroNaps offers discounted pricing to schools, along with a leasing option.