TLDR : Inemuri (居眠り) is the Japanese practice of sleeping briefly in social or work environments. Unlike the Western siesta, which is often viewed negatively, inemuri in Japan is seen as a sign of dedication to work. An 18-minute micro-nap seems ideal for improving performance and alertness.
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In Japan, a country often associated with rigor, hard work and discipline, a surprising practice defies clichés: inemuri (居眠り), literally “being present while sleeping”. More than a simple nap, inemuri is a subtle art of dozing off in the midst of social or professional activity. What if this tradition had lessons to offer us for better integrating the siesta into the workplace in France?
The inemuri: sleeping without going away
Unlike the Western siesta, which is often practiced in privacy and silence, inemuri is a form of discreet, assertive micro-nap. It can take place on public transport, in meetings or even in the office, as long as you remain physically present and “available”.
Unlike our often negatively perceived Western naps, practising inemuri in public can even boost your professional image: it’s a sign of dedication and commitment (Madame Figaro – 2025). A colleague who closes his eyes for a few minutes is not seen as lazy, but as someone who is so involved in his work that he is exhausted.
18 minutes, the perfect timing?
While inemuri is practiced on public transport, at work and sometimes even at school, it has no fixed duration. NASA studies agree that the perfect timing is more like 25 minutes of napping to improve performance by 34% and alertness by 54%.
At Nap&Up, we recommend between 10 and 25 minutes of micro-nap time to effectively recharge the batteries, while respecting the body’s circadian rhythm. 18 minutes allows us to split the difference and therefore seems to be the ideal timing for an effective nap, without causing sleep inertia.
French-style inemuri: why not get started?
At Nap&Up, we firmly believe that a nap is not a luxury, but a lever for performance and well-being at work. Inspired by inemuri, our cocoons enable employees to take a regenerating break, without leaving their professional environment.
So how about introducing a little inemuri into your daily routine? Not by sleeping on your keyboard, but by giving yourself 18 minutes of real recuperation, in a space designed just for that.
Conclusion
Inemuri shows us that it’s possible to combine involvement and recovery. In an increasingly demanding world of work, rehabilitating the nap, even a short one, is becoming a necessity. Through its micro-nap cocoons, Nap&Up draws on this Japanese wisdom to offer a concrete, simple and accessible solution to all companies concerned about the well-being of their teams.
So, are you ready to adopt the French inemuri?
