(kggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh.....) AH! AH! **-->BAGPIPES, MONKEYS, TERROR<--**

June 21, 2007 6:19 PM

Powernap MP3s.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (16 comments total)

If you sleep through that then it resorts to nastier things like bugles, irish bagpipes, computer tones, explosions, fingers on a chalkboard and a voice telling you to wake up.

I might take offense at that...

I'm going to download a few and check them out though.
posted by pupdog at 6:37 PM on June 21, 2007

I gave it a test run. I found the noise to be... noise. Distracting. It was too harsh, I think. I want noise that is soft, barely there.

Cool find, though. I'll give another go tomorrow.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:56 PM on June 21, 2007

if you need white noise to sleep at home - buy a desk fan and a timer. connect the fan to the timer and set it to switch off after x number of hours. use your clock radio/alarm as usual. works for me. i never could get used to sleeping with ear-goggles strapped to my head.
posted by spish at 8:10 PM on June 21, 2007

I always like to wake up by being surprised with fellatio, but once I didn't wake up fast enough and almost choked to death.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:24 PM on June 21, 2007 [24 favorites]

Oh yeah, seconding the "fan" suggestion. Works like a charm.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 8:28 PM on June 21, 2007

I always like to wake up by being surprised with fellatio, but once I didn't wake up fast enough and almost choked to death.

Wow. If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit next to me and all that.
posted by humannaire at 8:41 PM on June 21, 2007

The best part of the mp3 is like the last five minutes or so. If you're not awake by the end of it, you're probably dead.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:46 PM on June 21, 2007

The best part of the mp3 is like the last five minutes or so. If you're not awake by the end of it, you're probably dead.

Or in the middle of experiencing cardiac arrest...
posted by mstefan at 9:00 PM on June 21, 2007

Good idea.... TERRIBLE sound. The noise is super harsh, if I'm gonna listen to anything it will be a Stars of the Lid type low level drone or rain noise.

Anyhow, it takes me an hour to fall asleep so power napping is off the table for me to begin with.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:20 PM on June 21, 2007

Ahh. So this is how polyphasic sleepers do it. Glad I can wake up spontaneous and refreshed every morning without insane cacophonies.
posted by exlotuseater at 4:33 AM on June 22, 2007

For free simple noise masking, try an FM radio tuned between stations. Works great for noisy neighbors.

The Brainwave Generator (shareware, $40) lets you make your own background noise sounds, optionally mixed with beat frequencies that induce different brainwave states. Download and play. Also, get Audacity if you don't have a sound editor.

I have experimented with BWGen for sleep induction with some success, but waking up is sometimes difficult. I'm going to try this guy's technique.
posted by Enron Hubbard at 6:00 AM on June 22, 2007

I love this. I'm fascinated by the regenerative power of short naps, and these sound files really did wonders for me. I can't wait to try this on my 15-minute commute on the subway here in Nagoya next week.
posted by greasepig at 8:08 AM on June 22, 2007

I really dig that "irish bagpipe" song.. anyone know who performs it/what it's called?
posted by triolus at 9:10 AM on June 22, 2007

Relatively little scientific research has been performed on polyphasic sleep. Much, if not most, of the information about it comes from the claims of independent testers, many of whom are bloggers. (WP)

Funny, I'd only heard of the concept via Seinfeld (when Kramer tries to "sleep like Da Vinci" to get more done). I didn't think people actually practiced it. That's crazy.

(I'm all for naps, btw, but not in place of nightly sleep.)
posted by mrgrimm at 12:47 PM on June 22, 2007

I am so glad I read carefully and saw that it includes "brown noise" before listening to it at work. That was close!
posted by CaptApollo at 1:16 PM on June 22, 2007

This is pretty cool....much of the time I'm working days that are so long that things like breaks and lunch quickly turn into naps (tho I generally listen to Godspeed You Black Emporer or Iron and Wine or some such to drown out extraneous noise, with the alarm feature of the ipod and some obnoxious metal to wake me). I've found that I can do maybe three 20 minute naps a day and then 3 or so hours of sleep when I finally get home and still do physically and mentally demanding work with little discomfort or difficulty. I've always wondered if there was scientific or even "alternative medical" study of this sort of pattern, and what it might be called.

If only I could find shoes that allow me all that time on my feet without them feeling like they're about to fall off....
posted by nevercalm at 2:26 PM on June 22, 2007