EnergyPod
Go Cougs! The Washington State University logo is seen on the side of an EnergyPod from MetroNaps. (MetroNaps Photo)

Putting your head down on your desk and catching a few quick zzz’s might serve as a wakeup call to your employer that it’s time to remove you from your job. But what if allowing you to sleep on the job is the actual pitch for a product, and it’s a win for your company?

The folks at MetroNaps want more people to nap at work. And at school. They make a strong case for a line of futuristic-looking lounge chairs called EnergyPods, which they’ve been selling to companies and universities for years. A lack of sleep among the U.S. working population is costing the economy as much as $411 billion a year and 1.2 million work days are lost due to sleep deprivation, a new email pitch warned.

I got sleepy just daydreaming about lying back in one of these things, which can cost as much as $10,000, according to a 2016 story out of Washington State University, where napping pods were tested last year ahead of the opening of a new student center.

It’s surprising just how many institutions have signed on to address the problem of sleepy college kids. A pile of laundry or beer cans, or the top of a desk or patch of grass always seemed like suitable enough spots for co-eds to catch a quick nap. But in 2017, even the nap is ripe for technological innovation.

The news feed on the MetroNaps website is loaded with success stories from universities across the country where EnergyPods have been installed. News flash! College kids dig sleeping — especially in a state-of-the-art, zero-gravity ergonomic position with a privacy visor and specially composed sleep music. And what’s better than a “gentle wake sequence” facilitated by a sequence of programmed lights and vibrations?

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