Matsushita Designed Sleep Room

wersh writes "Matsushita Electric Works has developed a room that helps people sleep. They've been letting their employees take 30-minute sessions in the room and so far, not one has failed to fall asleep, they claim. They plan to open the sleep room to the public next week and intend to start selling it in June 2005 for 30,000 USD."

Comments

How I WISH american companies would follow

[lawaetf1]

Seriously, how many of you would end up increasing your productivity enormously if you were able to take a half hour nap at work every now and then? Sometimes you just need to quick-charge the batteries.

Pity our corporate overlords would rather have zombies at their desks for a full 8 hours than surrender a few minutes for a nap.

Re:How I WISH american companies would follow

[binkzz]

Did you read the article? This isn't about taking thirty minute naps, it's about a thirty minute preparation for falling asleep.

like a child

[Coneasfast]

i can't remember getting sleep like i could when i was a child, sometimes it takes me time to fall asleep, when i was kid, it was so easy and so restful.

this device just speeds up the process to make you fall asleep, doesn't improve the sleeping too, which i think is what a lot of people need.

Re:like a child

[mikael]

For me, getting a good nights sleep involves being in a room that is pitch dark, completely silent, with plenty of cool fresh air. If I'm not feeling too tired, I'll read a chapter of a novel for 30 minutes.

My parents home is out in the countryside, and each window has iron shutters on the outside, which can be folded horizontally. For extremes of weather these can be unfolded and used to cover the windows, depending on weather conditions. For stormy weather, these stop the danger of stuff being blown into the windows, and in Summer, these reflect the heat of the Sun while allowing a breeze to blow through. In Winter, they help to keep the heat in the house. At night, they can be used to keep the persistant orange glow of the streetlights out. Every night gives me a solid night's sleep. The air is cool and fresh. I feel sharp in the morning, and can work for eight hours non-stop.

Getting a good night's sleep in the city is much difficult. The apartment I rent has thin curtains, no shutters, and so the orange glow of streetlights is present in every single room throughout the night. Opening the windows to get a cool breeze introduces its own problems, since other residents tend to take taxi's home up until 4am, and the taxi cabs hang around for 10 minutes with the engine idling until the next call. Not forgetting the occasional ambulance/police car, the upstairs neighbour running their spindryer at 7am in the morning, the downstairs neighbour renovating their ceiling, somebody upstairs coming home from a pary in the early hours of the morning, and getting a good night's sleep is much harder.

Given the high population density in Japan, I'm not surprised they have difficulty getting a good night's sleep.

Not sure if this is the answer...

[bloxnet]

It's very nice that efforts are being made to improve the environment to get people to fall asleep...but it seems that this may be the wrong approach to the real issue. A growing amount of sleep disorders suggests problems with higher stress levels, diet, or having a routine sleep pattern. These issues seem to be all common in the U.S. as well as other industrialized nations. In my own humble opinion, I think it's because as a collective group, we put too much time and focus on things that aren't important and in turn have forgotten what's really important, substituting friends, family, and improving oneself mentally/spiritually for material things or work. It would stand to reason that if this substitution leads to these types of problems, it is a poor substitute indeed. I know I sound like a hippy or self help moron, but I have to say, ever since I read this quote somewhere: "One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important." ...and thought on it, and took it to heart, I have just seen/approached things a lot differently. Haven't been fired yet, and hell even if I do, is it the end of the world? I forgot where I was going with this, oh well. The next stage I would love to approach would be this qoute: "I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours." Oh well, enough posting, I should go take a nap.

Tinnitus

[obi-1-kenobi]

Yes but will it create background noise as well so I can't hear my tinnitus (note i'm only 20).

Re:We already have these in the US!

[double-oh three]

You know, I can never get to sleep in less than thirty minutes in a bedroom. On my keyboard, on the couch or chair, but never actually in bed. I always lay awake for at least an hour to two before I fall asleep.

feature request for sleep machine ...

[pikine]

What they should design is not a room, but a self-contained machine "bed" that helps people sleep. The "bed" would have a sound-proof, single-body glass dome cover with electronic blinds--a coating on the glass that dims when an electric charge is applied. The bed would be equipped with filtered air-conditioner, and it automatically adjusts to the right humidity level. Then they may have a widescreen TV, stereo speakers, and massage machine inside the bed for whatever reason.

It's much easier to buy a "package" that has everything you need, rather than having to buy a "room." At least, this this kind of sleeping machine "bed" would find a very good application on airline flights. If you ever had a 18 hour flight, then I'm sure you'll appreciate this very much.

Re:I can do this for free in 5 minutes...

[koreth]

A $30000 room is a lot cheaper than three kids.

Re:$30,000

[afidel]

A new kitchen can easily cost as much and you spend maybe a couple hours a day in there. You spend 4-9 hours a day in the bedroom. I personally think the money would be better spent on a good nights sleep then a pretty kitchen.

Re:$30,000

[xanderwilson]

As a life-long insomiac, I can tell you that I'd pay about whatever I'd have to. That's if it actually worked. Alex.