FAQ

What is the NapMachine?

It's been called "The Perfect Nap." The NapMachine is like having a Power Nap in your pocket! It is fully self-contained and comes complete with everything you need in order to Power Nap. You just press the start button and snooze. The completely self-contained Power Nap NapMachine is about the size of a matchbox, and includes a lanyard, earbuds and even a standard AAA battery! Now you can have a Power Nap wherever you are!

Do I have to use headphones?

Using STEREO headphones provides the best results. Comfortable closed-ear ones or high quality earbuds work best. Avoid models that have independent volume controls for each ear, so that the stereo effects of the recording are not compromised. If you're not sure if your headphones are stereo, ask someone who can identify stereo headphones by the design of the connector.

What type of headphones work best?

Most headphones are unable to reproduce sounds in the 1-12Hz area. Fortunately this is not a problem for the Power Nap recordings! This is the reason we use a carrier wave; the carrier wave makes it possible for even $5.00 headphones to deliver all the sound you need to get the Power Nap. Better headphones capable of more bass response will produce even better results, but expensive models are not necessary to get the benefits of the Power Nap recordings.
If you purchase a NapMachine, you'll be fine using either the ear buds that are supplied with the unit, your own ear buds (UltimateEars are fantastic; cost about $90.00 online) or any headphones you have around the house.

Can I use my Power Nap while reading or watching TV?

Ensure that when you use the Power Nap recordings, you are in an environment where you can actually rest. Do not attempt to use them where there are excessive distractions, while you are reading or watching TV, and do not think about a personal or business problem while you are Power Napping: This is YOUR TIME! Only listen and let your mind wander. Do nothing else.

What volume setting works best?

Turn up the volume to a slightly higher level than you would normally use for comfortable music-listening. You want to ensure that the only stimulus your mind has is the sound waves coming in through your ears.

Will I get the effects just by listening?

Power Nap is a little bit like hypnotism-- you can resist it. In order for it to work optimally you need to be a willing participant in the napping process. Listen actively and concentrate on the waterfall sounds. Really focus your mind on the sounds that are coming in through your ears. Your mind will start to wander, this is normal, surrender to the recording and let it do its job. It will wake you up when it's done resting you.

Will I fall asleep?

Do not be surprised if you do not actually "fall asleep". You may be aware throughout the process that you are listening to a recording. This is fine. When the recording is finished and you "wake up" you will still enjoy the benefits of a long, deep, restful sleep even if you were not "snoring" while the recording played!

What if I hear skips on my disk?

There should be no skips on your Power Nap CD. If you’re hearing skips, they’re probably due to static build-up or dirt on the disk. In these cases please wipe the disk down with water and a soft cloth. If cleaning the disk does not help, please check the headphones you’re using and the CD player you’re using with another recording and see if the same thing happens. In close to four years of production there has never been a defective Power Nap CD, so please check everything else before reporting a suspected damaged disk.! ...To clean, wipe -across- the disk with a soft damp cloth. CD's are hard to hurt, don't be too concerned about damaging it by cleaning.

Can I copy my CD to my IPOD or MP3 player?

Of course you can copy the CD to a portable music player, but the performance results have been mixed at best. There is a reason for this. The encoding process that these music players use to compress sound files clips off the frequencies that make Power Nap effective.

What makes electronic portable music players attractive is that you can put a LOT of music in a SMALL space. The way this is accomplished is to take the original music file, clip off all the sound below 20Hz and all the sound above 20KHz (that makes the file a lot smaller) and then remove vertical slices from what remains of the original track (compression) to make it smaller yet.

The Power Nap recordings range in size from 200MB to 750MB. The reason they are so large is that there is a LOT of information in the track that is necessary to get your brain to sync up with the recording. When you transfer the file to an .MP3 or similar player, the encoding process literally removes the frequencies (from 1 to 12Hz) that make Power Nap work, and can leave you with a recording of some scratchy white noise, which doesn't have any effect.

For best results, use the recording with good quality headphones with good Bass response and a good CD player, and only use it by listening to the CD. It is possible to get satisfactory results with the iPod by importing the track into iTunes using the following import settings: AIFF, 14,400Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo.

When will my order be shipped?

Normally, domestic orders placed by 4:00PM are shipped out via First Class Mail by the end of the next business day; international orders go by Air Letter Post on the same schedule. Whenever possible, we ship the same day an order is placed.