Daniel Turissini, Washington DC
NapNow speaks to nap-entrepreneur Daniel Turissini, from his Washington DC office, about the role of napping in his life, and his business napnook.
NapNow: What led you to become a napper?
Daniel: My rediscovery of naps came at a steep price: my health.
Much of my early educational and corporate success came as a result of healthy nutrition, exercise, and sound sleeping habits. But along the way, the third pillar of health, sleep, was sacrificed to my own corporate ambition. My strong desire for achievement as I worked my way up from a requirements engineer to Program Manager at a prestigious IT think-tank, left me battling each work day often on five hours of sleep or less. My assumption that burning the midnight oil was keeping me ahead of the curve, backfired. I noticed my anxiety was building, I was feeling sick more often, and making poor decisions at work and at home. The repercussions permeated all aspects of my life.
What I craved was a productive, inspired, and prosperous life. What I experienced was burnout, fatigue, and disengagement, and I wasn’t alone.
After several doctor’s visits, the epiphany came as I began to understand the source of my stress and exhaustion: I wasn’t getting enough sleep.
At the time I survived by napping. I was lucky enough to work in an office located adjacent to a hotel. When feeling overwhelmed, sick, or exhausted, I would often wander over for a 30-minute rest in the lobby.
NapNow: Tell us about the inspiration for your business, napnook?
Daniel: My own further research exposed that sleeplessness is a major pain point in America and around the globe; however it is a remarkably under-serviced market. So, as a newly converted sleep disciple and opportunist, within months, I left the six-figure corporate lifestyle to shape the life I wanted and to make a difference to those who currently suffer the same experience I did.
More specifically, napnook solved a very common problem: Where do I go to recover, restore, and refresh my mind and body during the day? Sleep-deprived employees have few options; some risk napping at their desks, others with a car snooze there, while the desperate look for a vacant bathroom stall. The fact is, people are napping either by necessity or by choice, but few have been accommodated by education, mentorship, and physical facilities to do so. Enter napnook.
NapNow: What’s your current napping routine ?
Daniel: Today, here in America’s capital city, Washington, DC, I nap in our napnook. It’s a daily ritual that complements my exercise routine. While my day may now be 30 minutes shorter, the energy, focus, and drive gained keeps me more productive, engaged, and healthy each day.
NapNow: What kind of reactions is napnook getting?
Daniel: Reactions to napnook have been fantastic, especially from people with long commutes and long corporate hours, the health-conscious, weary tourists, and naptivists alike. The greatest challenge has been reversing the stigma of napping in the workplace. However, the growing interest, attention, and trends in general sleep health allows us to lean on the latest science for support. Here’s our white paper which educates employers about the benefits of sleep and the cost of employee disengagement; Combating Employee Disengagement through Sleep Health and Wellness. (link)
Contact: info@napnook.com, napnook.com