Young business owner invites Toronto to “Come, take on nap on us!”

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“My dad always said that when you pick something to do in life, do what you love; my husband ‘You love to sleep,’ so now that is what I do, I sleep, and help others sleep.”

It was a Thursday afternoon, and I decided to head downtown. I haven’t been there for a while, and I figured that I would head out that afternoon to do one thing; take a nap. Now you might say, “Why would Simone leave her house to go all the way to Yonge and Eglinton to take a nap?” Well, ordinarily I wouldn’t, but I had heard through the grapevine, that Toronto had it’s own napping station, so I had to check it out myself.

When I finally got downtown, I could see why Mehzabeen and her husband had decided to open Toronto’s new napping hub there. It is located at 2300 Yonge Street, on the lower level of the Yonge and Eglinton Centre. Everywhere you look there is a high-rise building, with a magnitude of stores, and business, and an exclusive group of clients who will truly appreciate what Nap it Up has to offer.

“I had so many different ideas for a start up business, and it was my amazingly, logical husband who helped me decide on this one. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, which I believe I inherited from my father. He was a very industrious man.” Why napping you ask? Well there is science behind that.

According to an article (The impact of frequent napping and nap practice on sleep-dependent memory in humans) published on October 10^th, 2018 in the Science Report, sleep continues to play an important role in stabilizing and enhancing memory for newly learned information (hint, hint, napping in kindergarten), and enhancement effects from naps have been found across a vast range of: cognitive abilities, emotion regulation, procedural skills, and attention. Napping is now being endorsed as a way to boost creativity and productivity, and to improve performance in athletes. For those who work shift work, napping is actually your best friend, as it helps you cope with fatigue-related to shift work.

I found an interesting article on sleep.org that revealed some of the countries that have included naps in their daily lives; In China, after lunch, it is an employee’s constitutional right to take an hour-long nap. In Italy, the riposo, begins around noon until about 4:00 pm. During this time, businesses shut down and public venues lock their doors so that employees can go and catch a snooze. Finally, in Spain, the siesta can span two hours: first you have lunch with your friends or family, and then you take a nap.

Mehzabeen and I discussed the importance of napping before she ushered me off to take my nap. “ I have told some of the CEO’s who have come here that investing into napping times for their employees in important. Between the times of 1:00 pm–3:00 pm, our circadian rhythm dips because we are experiencing a higher dose of melatonin (this is what aids sleep), and the sleepiness we experience during these dips are less intense if you have had sufficient sleep, and more intense if you are sleep deprived. But what do we do, we turn to coffee, instead of turning to a nap. There is very little constructive work that is done during this time, so would it not make sense to have your employees rest, so that they can give you their best work up until the end of the work day?”

It made sense to me and this is why I had come down to check it out. After an informative conversation, Mezhabeen led me into the back sleeping quarters to show me around. “I choose the colour Mystic Blue because blue and green are the two colours that are supposed to induce sleep. We also have an air purifier, lavender scents throughout the room, we dim the lights, and we keep the room at a comfortable sleeping temperature, which is between 15–22 degrees Celsius. We even have a white noise machine.” “What is the white noise machine for?” “It is to help drown out the sounds that other guests might be making around you (snoring). It is interesting; the guests who come to visit seem to already understand proper sleep etiquette. From the time they walk through the door, their voices are lowered, and they are respectful of those who might be sleeping.

It was time for my nap, and I was sceptical at first; you know how hard it is to sleep someplace that is not your own. I am going to admit, I was out like a light. The sleep was so good, that when my first nap was done, I had to take another one. I was so impressed by Mehzabeen’s professionalism and calming nature, and how well she kept the sleeping room sanitized. I asked her what she has to say to the skeptics? “Come and take a nap on me FOR FREE during one of our guest appreciation days. We have standard packages that can get you 25 minutes for $10.00, 55 minutes for $20.00, and 85 minutes for $25.00. Our premium package has larger beds, and you can sleep for 25 minutes for $15.00, 55 minutes for $25.00, and 85 minutes for $35.00.”

This is truly a hidden gem in the heart of Toronto, and one that everyone should at least check out. To set up a time, you can visit www.napitup.ca, or email them at info@napitup.ca.