If you’re looking for a practical investment, look no further than your bed. What people need most now is restful sleep.
We work hard for several reasons. But even as we think of all the things we can buy with our money and the vacations we can take, at the back of our minds is our future when we’re old.
Perhaps, for this reason, many of us slave away so that we can rest easy on a hefty pension. Some invest their money into their houses so that should they have no family, at least they can get something from it through a reverse mortgage or from selling it.
The problem when people are young, though, is that we often think we’re invincible. We believe that our bodies can take whatever we get into. Eventually, these take a toll on our mental and physical states. The old age that we’re so worried about might not even come, with so many health complications that result from overworking.
Stress can be insidious. Sometimes we’re not aware of it. We can pass off not having an appetite because of bland food. We think our shallow, short sleep is due to us being light sleepers. We blame so many things for being distracted throughout the day. We either deny or don’t know that these are already workings of chronic stress, and chemical changes are already corrupting our minds and bodies.
This scenario has taken some commodities to a new level. When before, sleeping was as normal as night and day, now it’s become a luxury. People pay money to get quality sleep.
The sleep industry has become lucrative if the prices of those sleep watches are any indicator. While the moneyed people can buy themselves the best mattresses and all these gadgets, what can you offer to ordinary salaried employees?
Sleeping Pods
Not all companies are like Google that has a playroom for their employees. Some might have lounges and pantries, good for a ten-minute break to grab some coffee. But the best way to break from a load of work is to take a nap.
Most people working in urban centers will be from the suburbs or residential areas far from their offices. The nearest bedrooms they can find are in the pricy hotels in these commercial districts. A sleeping pod, strategically located, will be a great help to these busybodies.
If you’re familiar with the Japanese capsule hotels, your sleeping pods can offer this kind of accommodations, but for a short time. Although they might look like a coffin to people who are used to spacious living, they’re straightforward. If the boxed mattresses don’t work for the people in your locality, try the dorm-type setup. You can have clean bunk beds with curtains to offer some privacy.
Meditation Sessions
Meditation is less rigorous than yoga and will give the benefits of sleep. It helps relax your body and calm your mind. It is even used to cope with some kinds of illness. The practice, however, is not as easy as it is described. Especially for people who have so many things in mind, meditation has to be guided at first.
Most meditation programs offer week-long or maybe two to three-day retreats. And they’re often in secluded locations. This is to ensure that their participants are not distracted. But you can create zen spaces in busy urban centers. You can offer a program that requires your clients to join a weekend retreat so that their introduction to meditation is done in an appropriate environment. But to sustain their calm for the rest of the year, they can then have daily sessions either at the start of the day or at night. Offer thirty-minute guided meditations somewhere near their offices. They can drop by before they log in for work or before they go home at night.
There are other investments you can make in the sleep industry. Bedroom paraphernalia, aromatherapy, and lighting technology are just a few of these. At the end of the day, it’s to get people back on track of what should have been a natural part of their lives. And don’t forget. You should not lose sleep yourself to go into business.
