This week I’m looking at, of all things, napping software. I have to admit, when I first heard about Pzizz, I was a bit skeptical. Sticking an audio file on my iPod that is supposed to help me get to sleep seemed like just a bit of mumbo jumbo. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of research concerning the benefits of napping so I decided to give Pzizz a try.

Pzizz installs as a simple application with up to three modules for an energizer nap, sleep, and meditation. The interface is simple to operate and could easily be managed by even the sleep deprived. The built in settings work just fine but you can add your own preferences. I’ll tell you more about that later. You can easily select your module, its length, and either play or export files to iTunes.

So what exactly is in the magic audio file? According to the Pzizz developers, it has lots of high tech concepts like “binaural beat”, and “theta brainwaives”. I’m not exactly sure what that means. What I heard when using Pzizz was some interesting music, soft nature and synthesizer sounds, and a coach getting me to relax.

The thing about Pzizz is that it works. I’m an early riser. I’m very productive in the morning but by the afternoon I start to fade. For the past month I’ve been sneaking away when I can for a 20 minute Pzizz energizer. I’m not really sure how it works, but for me it made a difference.

So there are the basics. After you use Pzizz for awhile, you’ll want to customize it. That is done through the preferences. For me that involved reducing the amount voice interaction. I created my own preset that puts the voice in only at the beginning and the end. Hearing that voice in the middle of my energizer was definitely crimping my zen. I also turned the voice volume down.

If you are having trouble sleeping, you may want to look into the Pzizz sleeping tracks. I tried it and it worked fine but, to be honest, I usually fall asleep pretty quickly anyway. They also now have meditation tracks.

You can buy either the sleep or energizer modules for $29.95 or the set for $49.95. You can look at that as a lot or a little depending on how important napping and sleeping are to you. If you are having trouble sleeping, you should definitely give it a try. They have a money back guarantee and a free lifetime upgrade policy. You can find it at Pzizz.com.

You can listen to this review on Surfbits Episode 183.