The science of sleep and why napping is good for you

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Chronarium Sleep Lab landed at the Arndale shopping centre as part of the Manchester Science Festival, an 11-day long event taking in more than 100 installations and activities across the city. “We didn’t have people raising their eyebrows and finding the idea to sleep in the day unusual, ” says Mathias Gmachl, co-director of Loop.pH, the design agency behind the idea. open image in gallery Society should not regard a power nap as a sign of weakness Rather than using technology to simply mirror the low electromagnetic frequencies of the brain during sleep, Loop.pH commissioned Anna Meredith, a classically-trained electronic artist, to compose a beguiling mixture of alien-like throbbing and gentle electronic sounds that help the brain slow down. While we might be some way off sleep pods in the bedroom, Dr Horton says we need to cosy up to nap time to stop us sleep-walking into a major public health hazard.