Lunching is a popular habit in many cultures, but in Japan, "Inemuri" is a Japanese term used to refer to sleeping while sitting or standing up in a public place, usually at work, on a train, or even in a meeting.
Unlike the concept of lazy napping, Inemuri is considered a manifestation of hard work and dedication in Japanese culture.
According to Indian Express, Dr. Jagadish Hiremath - Medical Director at Aasra Super Speciality Hospital (India), and a community health expert - said that Inemuri is a form of light sleep that helps reduce the discomfort of lack of sleep by taking short breaks while still maintaining connection with the surrounding environment.
Unlike traditional napping in private environments, Inemuri focuses on the ability to quickly reintegrate back to work. This sleep is mainly in the light sleep stage (no REM sleep), so it helps improve alertness and cognitive function without causing fatigue after waking up.
Research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience also confirms that short light sleep can strengthen memory and increase concentration. However, Inemuri cannot replace the deep sleep needed for long-term recovery, especially for people with severe sleep deprivation.
Lunch time also greatly affects Inemuri's effectiveness. Dr. Hiremath says that a short sleep of 10 to 20 minutes is ideal for quick energy regeneration, avoiding feeling sluggish after waking up.
Conversely, a 30-minute napping can cause the body to fall into deep sleep, causing sleep stagnation and loss of concentration when waking up.
Inemuri is also flexible, allowing practitioners to adjust sleep time to suit their circadian rhythm and personal schedule, especially in the afternoon, when energy is often reduced.
However, Dr. Hiremath warns of some disadvantages of overusing Inemuri such as not being able to completely recover for people with chronic insomnia, which can disrupt the night sleep cycle, and even create psychological dependence that makes users not find ways to improve healthy sleep habits.
