The curious case of people who fall asleep in public (more specifically on public transport)

I can sense what will happen long before it does; the warning signs are right there if you know where to look. As our early morning train weaves through the city, the suited man beside me uncomfortably shifts his body weight and rearranges himself – a valiant attempt to remain awake.

For a moment, he seems refreshed, but then the gentle rattling of our carriage takes over, and his eyelids betray him. With each passing stop, they become heavier until, mercifully, he gives in. At the same time, his head slumps to the side, seeking its final resting place upon my left shoulder.

I am impressed by people who can fall asleep in public, especially on public transport. Credit: Dionne Gain

At last, the process is complete. It was always a losing battle, but one he fought bravely: goodnight, sweet prince.

I have long been impressed by people who manage to fall asleep in public, let alone on public transport.

Sure, everyone is tired all of the time, but in the age of permanent distraction, there is something admirable about choosing to nap wherever you happen to be rather than doom-scrolling Instagram or watching a YouTube video about who invented the Rubik’s cube. (It was a Hungarian guy named Erno Rubik; I just watched it yesterday and highly recommend it.)

Personally, I find the idea of public sleeping too stressful. The one time I napped on a train, I missed my stop, waking up in such a panic that I immediately jumped off, leaving my wallet and phone on the seat behind me.

I spent the remainder of the day riding the rails, searching for my belongings, which all felt very John Steinbeck until I had to call my mum from a stranger’s phone and ask her to pick me up.

My failing then (and now) is that I lack the semi-conscious awareness required to nap confidently in public. Once asleep, I am there for the taking, destined to snooze forever more, or at least until I reach the end of the line.

Others don’t seem to have this same issue; several of my fellow commuters can shut down at a moment’s notice, only to reboot as they arrive at their destination.

Nowhere is this skill more coveted than in Japan, which has turned sleeping in public into a proud part of its cultural identity. Japanese people are so adept at napping in the wild they even have a word for it – inemuri, which roughly translates to “sleeping while present”.

Having been to Japan, I can confirm that people were sleeping while present all over the place: trains, shopping malls and most memorably, a convenience store. Provided it was crowded and loud, there was a high chance someone nearby was asleep.

Commuters sleep on a train in Tokyo. The practice of “sleeping while present” is known as inemuri. Credit: NYT

Much of this phenomenon stems from Japan’s historically low crime rate, which means that people are not worried about being robbed while having a little nap at the shops. But you know what’s arguably worse than being robbed? Being shamed online.

While I may not trust myself to wake up when needed, I certainly don’t trust others to leave me alone.

The everything-is-content culture has turned sleeping strangers into internet fodder, so it’s little wonder that entire Instagram pages and Reddit threads are dedicated to tired souls resting their eyes. University campuses seem particularly fertile ground for such content, with Instagram accounts like People Sleeping at USyd, People Sleeping at UTS, and People Sleeping at Macquarie boasting thousands of followers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Japan leads the way online with the enormously popular page Shibuya Meltdown (393,000 followers), a collection of Japanese inemuri in all its spectacular forms.

By its very nature, being asleep makes you vulnerable, leaving you at risk of going insanely viral. Last year, a tradie in NSW fell asleep in the barber chair mid-cut and slept for an astonishing three hours. The result? A TikTok video with 1.2 million views.

Meanwhile, spare a thought for the lady in Missouri who fell asleep while mattress shopping and woke up as a global news story. Admittedly, the headlines were terrific, my personal favourite being “Woman reportedly shopping for mattresses falls asleep on store display overnight.”

Should I ever fall asleep in public again, I can only hope to be as relaxed as the man still snoozing on my shoulder. As the train approaches my stop, I am tempted to stay put and let him rest.

Unfortunately, I have a 9am meeting in the office (the one public place I could drift off), but before I can rouse him, he jolts awake, offering an embarrassed apology as he collects his things: “Sorry I fell asleep.” No need to worry, I tell him. But whatever you do, don’t forget your phone and wallet.

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