A good executive nap mat?

September 28, 2015 10:56 AM

Google "nap mat" and you get a zillion results, all meant for small humans. Surprisingly, "executive nap mat" (as a phrase) yields zero. There's a niche there that will make someone a lot of money one day, but in the meantime: suggestions for a mat that I can put on the office floor to catch 40 winks?

There are times when I really need a 10–15 minute catnap in the afternoon at work. Luckily, I can close the office door and expect not to be bothered. Except that the floor is covered by a thin utility rug that's not very friendly to middle-aged bones. So I could use a mat that satisfies these criteria: (1) not too bulky, thin and small enough to quickly roll and store behind the door; (2) padded enough to be reasonably comfortable while lying full-length; (3) reasonably priced. I'm guessing that a backpacking-style high-tech mat might be preferable to a foam yoga or workout mat but haven't shopped for such things in a long time.

posted by Creosote to Health & Fitness (24 answers total)

What about a camping mat like a thermarest?
posted by ilovewinter at 10:58 AM on September 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Thermarest was the first thing that came to my mind, as well.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 11:00 AM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yep, just hit the local camping store and squeeze some pads. If you don't feel like inflating and uninflating something, you could get a Z-style pad - it doesn't fold as small, but you're not trying to pack for a PCT thru-hike either. That will keep your elbows and hip bones off the floor way better than a yoga type mat.
posted by ftm at 11:11 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Maybe a bouldering pad?
posted by kevinbelt at 11:12 AM on September 28, 2015

Just a quick note of warning: I work an unexceptional office job, but buried deep in the employee handbook is the provision that any employee caught asleep at work is terminated at the first offense, no appeals, not subject to the discretion of their manager(s).
posted by pullayup at 11:15 AM on September 28, 2015 [8 favorites]

You might even like a camping cot better, because you won't have to take the few minutes to inflate and deflate it in order to store it, they just roll up. This one is expensive but I can attest that it is very comfortable.
posted by padraigin at 11:19 AM on September 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: buried deep in the employee handbook is the provision that any employee caught asleep at work is terminated at the first offense

Warning appreciated and when I start my Executive Nap Mat company I'll have to put a "use at your own risk" label on the product, but I'm in a work situation where it's not an issue--folks are trusted to structure their time as needed so long as they're getting things done.
posted by Creosote at 11:24 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Wowpullayup. An office environment? I wonder what the story behind that one was.

Seconding a camping mat, though the floor was enough when I was really tired. A yoga mat looks like a yoga mat and not a way to sack out on the q.t.
posted by tilde at 11:25 AM on September 28, 2015

I have a self-inflating camping mattress that I keep in my offices for catnaps. (I too am in a profession where my time is largely self-scheduled and I'm evaluated based on productivity, not time on the clock.) Mine is the REI store brand.
posted by brianogilvie at 11:27 AM on September 28, 2015

I keep a yoga mat at work: not for midday naps (massively verboten, and like pullyaup writes, an instantly-fireable offense), but because it's almost guaranteed there'll be a few times every winter where I get stuck at work overnight. Yoga mat + basic sleeping bag makes sleeping on a tile floor doable.
posted by easily confused at 11:47 AM on September 28, 2015

Best answer: I would recommend a self-inflatable on the condition that you can store it inflated, for example vertically behind a bookcase. That saves a lot of time, mostly on rolling and storing, because pressing the air out is a bit of a chore. And it's great for the mat itself.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:58 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: We bought a foam mat from Costco. It is divided into three sections and those sections fold onto each other, so it turns into sort of a bulky square when stored. The mat itself, when not folded, is about 4-5" thick. It cost about $40. So it may be a bit bulkier storage-wise, but you may appreciate the thickness.
posted by vignettist at 12:09 PM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I keep a therm-a-rest rolled up under my desk for exactly this purpose. To be honest, I'm hoping someone will suggest something more comfortable here.
posted by Doc_Sock at 12:10 PM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I put 2 Therma-Rests on top of each other for ultimate comfort while sleeping on the ground. Would probably work on an office floor too.
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:11 PM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I have never worked in a place where napping was acceptable. I've always used my car for this. Drive to a park a mile away, snooze for 20 minutes and return.
posted by islandeady at 12:37 PM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

Napping at work was traditionally taken to mean "has an unacknowledged drink problem" in my industry, hence the employee handbook notice.
posted by scruss at 12:50 PM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would think a thick sleeping bag would work well for this. Just roll it out and lie on top of it. They roll up quickly, they're soft, and are relatively inexpensive.
posted by Socinus at 4:23 PM on September 28, 2015

You should have googled executive hammock instead! Ideally you could get maintenance to put in a pair of eyebolts, but there are also fold-away stands. Hammocks stuff down in like forty seconds.
posted by Iteki at 4:27 PM on September 28, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far -- i may even have an old Thermarest mat in an attic though it may be pretty grungy. Will check back tomorrow for updates but at the moment I'm at home with a power outage & computer/DSL running on UPS backup... As for fold-up cot, I used one of those way back when I had a new baby @ home and wasn't getting much sleep in grad school but too big for current office...
posted by Creosote at 4:29 PM on September 28, 2015

Be sure to choose a good spot for your nap. Years ago, I closed our not-in-use conference room door to take a very much needed lunchtime snooze on the floor, in the back and out of casual sight. I was awakened by a staffer's scream. She had come in, puttered around, saw me and thought I was dead.

Which is to suggest that the day you think no one will bother you in your office is the day someone will.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:35 PM on September 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Best question ever. An alternative search term is sleeping mat. I wonder if Amazon.com has a support line you could call to find out something that meets your needs? They probably have someone in that department that might know a lot. Or specialty sleep/nap/camping gear websites.
posted by kinoeye at 11:09 PM on September 28, 2015

Something a little more out there that might work, and would definitely be less conspicuous, is a GelPro kitchen mat. Some of the larger sizes are long enough to sleep on and the gel beats the heck out of carpet with little to no padding.

As an added bonus, you can also use it for its intended purpose and spend a few hours a day standing and still avoid foot/ankle fatigue.

Make it part of an ergonomic overhaul of your workspace, including an adjustable monitor/keyboard stand that would allow you to work on the computer standing up part of the day and you might even get your employer to cover the cost. ;)
posted by wierdo at 8:02 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The executive hammock is a joke, right? Executive Hammock.

Going to hit the local outdoor gear store to check on what they have, thanks all for the suggestions.
posted by Creosote at 10:03 AM on September 29, 2015

Not joking in the least. The one you link is a perfectly fine "string bag" style that is serviceable but I find a Ticket to the Moon style parachute silk one handier, folds away in seconds, goes in a drawer. Seriously, two good eyebolts.
posted by Iteki at 4:26 PM on September 29, 2015