Gadget aims to reduce work stress

It might have passed by unnoticed, but yesterday was National Stress Awareness Day, which seems to suggest that it may be important to become aware - if we weren't already - of stress.

For many, stress is no joke. Indeed it is responsible for five million Britons taking days off sick every year. Only back problems top stress in terms of sickies.

The good news is that help is at hand. It comes in the form of a system called Pzizz which rids you of stress by sending you to sleep. Here's what the PR blurb says: "Pzizz has been launched to help you cope with life's challenges and achieve more out of your day. Pzizz is a completely new concept, a 'personal life coaching system' which uses the idea of 'powernapping' combined with the latest technology which makes relaxing and rejuvenating yourself easy."

How's that then? "A 100 per cent British invention, Pzizz uses unique software to mix and relay literally billions of combinations of special messages, using newly-developed neuro-active technology, seductive sounds and empowering music. So you'll have a totally different experience every time you use Pzizz."

Oh really? OK. Perhaps it wasn't the best of days to road-test Pzizz. But, to be truthful, it probably wasn't significantly different from most days. It was raining. The car had a flat tyre, which meant taking the Tube. There was no umbrella. The maniac on Clapham Common wanted to know - in between slurps of Special Brew - where he could enlist in the Taliban. The Northern line was down. The Victoria line was "experiencing" delays. The beggar outside High Street Kensington was especially aggressive ... and the Evening Standard was in full flow between editions.

A good moment, then, to plug into the device that resembles a sawn-off personal CD player and "chill-out". Not. What you are supposed to do is retreat from the normal bear pit you work in to a quiet room, preferably with a bed, where you should lie, breathe deeply and drift off to sleep. Alas, in the oasis of tranquillity that is an evening newspaper office, this was not realistic. But I gave it my best shot.

The opening words on the tape are music to stressed ears: "Let your mind and body slide with ease and comfort into a pleasant and refreshing nap. While you are preparing to rest deeply, ensure you are not disturbed."

The soothing transatlantic voice drones gently on. But its attempts to lull you into the Land of Nod are defeated. The noises in the background drown it out. "You want a coffee?" "Are you doing a piece about the war for tomorrow?" "Your mobile's ringing." "Can you believe that Arsenal result!" "Have you read that e-mail I sent you yesterday?"

Through the earpiece the voice instructs: "Now close your eyes. Stretch all of your muscles. Now relax - and notice how good it feels. At any time you want you can let yourself fall asleep. It's OK." (Swelling music and strings replaced by waves gently breaking on beach.)

Fat chance! I put these problems to London-based Pzizz creator Matthew Ashenden. Given such circumstances - where Britons work longer and harder than the rest of Europe - which companies are going to allow their serfs time out to rejuvenate themselves?

"It's happening," said Mr Ashenden, pointing out that in America companies are increasingly aware that performance dwindles if relaxation is not allowed.

Mr Ashenden, 35, a former personal fitness trainer, said the idea of powernapping first came to bodybuilders on Venice Beach, California, who noticed increased performance after a 10-minute nap following an hour's workout.

He said: "The important thing is that the more you use it, the more your subconscious likes it." The Pzizz system will set you back £247, which in itself is a stressful thought. But as Mr Ashenden is a former member of the Special Boat Service, it might be less stressful, if he knocks on your door, to buy it.