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Sleep pods take power naps to a new dimension

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Why you can trust SCMP
Raymond Ma

In work-conscious Hong Kong, it's the ultimate no-no that's on a par with back-stabbing your colleagues and worse than cheating on your taxes.

I am talking about power-napping - 20 minutes of shut-eye in the middle of the day to allow the brain and body to recharge.

One afternoon last week I trudged to Cyberport, where I was invited to try one of three space-age sleeping pods designed by Metronaps - a US company that runs a sleep clinic for weary office workers at New York's Empire State Building.

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The pods, recently imported and installed at the Bel-Air on the Peak clubhouse, retail at the not inconsiderable sum of $100,000, including shipping costs.

They consist basically of an S-shaped mattress tucked into a massive visor that shuts off the user from the outside world. Using the armrests, the pod may be reclined to a relaxed sleeping position.

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There are also lighting controls, a timer and a sound system that plays one of four 'natural' sounds to help you drift off to sleep.

There was also a mysterious white disc connected to the chair, and when no one could tell me what it did, I just hoped I was not sitting in an ejector seat.

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