Is “Napping Is a Sign of Laziness” Just an Assumption? What Recent Insights Teach Us About ‘Power Nap’ Habits and Resting to Balance the Autonomic Nervous System

Even when you feel drowsy during the day, many people hold back, thinking “napping looks like slacking off.” In June 2026, FLH Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku, Tokyo) drew attention by exhibiting a booth for its weighted eye mask brand “NELAX” at a Tokyo trade show, offering visitors a chance to try a short nap (power nap). Prompted by this initiative, here's a look at rest habits that help balance the autonomic nervous system, useful for midlife readers and beyond.

Three Points From the Exhibition

• Amid growing interest in work-style reform and health management, more companies are said to be introducing short-nap systems. Short rest periods, such as during lunch breaks, are drawing attention from the standpoint of refreshing mind and body and supporting work efficiency.
• An eye mask that covers the eyes with a moderate weight is introduced as one way to block light and make it easier to settle into rest. Reducing ambient brightness and visual information is explained as helping create an environment conducive to short rest.
• The initiative is positioned as aiming to build an environment where napping can be adopted comfortably as an everyday health habit, rather than something out of the ordinary. Securing a place and time to rest without worrying about others is said to contribute to quality of life.

What We, in Midlife, Should Keep in Mind Day to Day

This initiative conveys that napping isn't “a sign of laziness” — deliberately incorporating short rest may help balance the autonomic nervous system. The following commonly recommended tips may offer a starting point for revisiting your rest habits.

• When you feel drowsy, don't push through it — try a short 10–20 minute rest
• Try dimming the room slightly or using an eye mask to reduce visual information
• Since a long nap can affect nighttime sleep, set a time limit and wrap it up

* The above are commonly recommended rest habits and do not guarantee improvement of any specific condition or change in autonomic nervous system function.

Last updated: July 17, 2026