Someone Created A Desk You Can Nap Under

When that midday, post-lunch slump hits, nothing sounds better than throwing yourself across your desk wearing nothing but your underwear and a baggy t-shirt and slipping into a dream state for an hour or so. Even better would be a desk you can nap under, hidden from the sight of disapproving co-workers and superiors, since sleeping on the job is apparently frowned upon or something? (Not that I know from experience...) Good news for all those drowsy worker-bees out there: Somebody created the aforementioned nap desk, and the mere sight of it will make you want to take a snooze. It's appropriately called Work Desk Bed, and it was designed by Athanasia Leivaditou of Studio NL.

At first glance, Work Desk Bed looks like any ordinary work surface, where you work on important projects, take calls, and play on Instagram when no one is looking. But — hold on — what is this? There's a bed underneath? Tell me more!

In mere minutes, the 17-square-foot desk transforms into a bed, complete with a monitor for entertainment purposes. This nap-tastic apparatus is made of wood, leather, and plexiglass, and it's here to make all of your dreams come true. Literally.

Observe:

The not-so-nap-tastic news is that Work Desk Bed is a concept product, meaning you can’t actually buy it (yet!). But I’m petitioning for its immediate mass production and release, because how glorious would it be to hide under your desk and doze off watching an episode of Oprah?

It turns out, by the way, that we as a species might have sleeping all wrong. According to the National Sleep Foundation, over 85 percent of mammalian species are what’s called polyphasic sleepers, which means they sleep for short times throughout the day. Humans, however, are part of the small group of monophasic snoozers, meaning that we have a distinct period for sleeping and one for being awake. The problem is that it’s still unclear whether this is what nature intended for us.

According to science, a quick 20- or 30-minute cat nap is enough to boost our mood, and improve alertness, productivity, and performance. Consider this: In a 2002 Harvard University study, workers’ performance in four daily sessions involving a visual task got increasingly worse. When they were allowed a 30-minute nap after the second session, however, they performed better — and better still when allowed a one-hour nap, which brought even the third and fourth sessions back to normal performance.

Yet another study from the University of Michigan found that naps (or extended breaks) can counteract impulsive behavior, increase tolerance for frustration, and improve workplace safety.

Naps (and thus, napping desk beds!) aren’t just beneficial — they’re in high demand. America is tired, folks. A 2008 study from the Centers for Disease Control found that 70 percent of adults said that hadn’t slept enough every single day for the past month. The CDC estimated that roughly 50 to 70 million people experience sleep disorders or constant sleep loss. Another 2010 survey from the CDC of over 15,000 adults found that 30 percent of workers (or 40.6 million) sleep six or fewer hours everyday — below the recommended seven to nine. The mental, physical, and emotional ramifications of under-sleeping are too many to name.

While it might look like just another cool invention, it sounds like Americans might really need the Work Desk Bed. Our work-like-a-dog mentality is largely a cultural development, while other countries like Spain have normalized midday naps. Could middle-of-the-day snore-fests become more popular in the US of A? Time will tell.