PowerNap

As a former Air Traffic Controller I found this interesting. We'll be getting a PowerNap to review and we'll let you know if it works. Here's the press release:

Jonathan Husni, MBA, IT expert and inventor of PowerNap (www.powernap.com) audio products that have helped thousands of people energize themselves by grabbing a quick nap, has offered the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), 100 PowerNap CDs and a 50 percent discount on his company’s PowerNap Machine, if they will try his technology as a solution to the fatigue problem that has caused a number of air traffic controllers to fall asleep on the job.

Sleep professionals recommended scheduled, on-the-job naps as a way to fight fatigue. Research indicates that even short periods of sleep—power naps—can reduce stress, increase alertness and improve overall health. A NASA study found that an average nap of twenty-six minutes boosted airline pilots’ performance by one-third and experiments by NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) showed that a midday snooze reverses information overload.

Husni agrees that this is the most direct and potentially effective solution to a problem that has seen several instances of exhausted air traffic controllers failing in their duties. “People wanting and needing a nap don’t often have much time for it, so it’s important that they fall asleep quickly. That’s why our customers buy PowerNap products and refer them to friends.”

The technology behind PowerNap is simple. During the first five minutes of listening to PowerNap CDs with ear buds, the user’s brain automatically adjusts to its inaudible sound waves. For the next ten minutes the PowerNap recording helps induce REM sleep, finally bringing the user to a refreshed state of heightened wakefulness. Throughout, the user hears only the pleasing sound of a waterfall.

Introduced ten years ago, thousands of PowerNap CDs have been sold. The PowerNap Machine, a pocket-sized media player that similarly facilitates sleep, was introduced this year.