Every college student, whether they have a strenuous major or not, enjoys nap time during the day when they can get it. Handling a busy lifestyle can be difficult if enough sleep is not had.
There are several benefits of napping. According to oedb.org or Open Education Database, there are six major benefits of napping: stress relief, better judgment calls, increased productivity, assisting with meditation, helping survive all-nighters and mood improvement.
“I enjoy napping because I feel re-energized after I wake up,” said Katlyn Lukefahr, freshman from Perryville, Mo. “If I sleep too much though, I always feel worse.”
There are actually several types of naps and not all are beneficial. The most non-beneficial nap is the “sleep-until-you-wake-up nap” which is equivalent to taking a “bored nap.” OED reports that if naps are taken due to having nothing better to do, the nap is probably not needed and it will risk interrupting regular sleep schedules.
OED also reports the most useful type of nap is the “power nap” which is the type that boosts energy, productivity and morale for working out, studying or attending late classes. Power naps should only last twenty minutes and are most beneficial for busy students.
Pre-scheduling a nap for the next day or later in the afternoon isn’t a bad idea either. OED recommends scheduling a nap is a good thing, but only if scheduled before something important such as a meeting or before class. This is students get up and still attend their meeting or class.
OED also recommends other healthy ways to nap. They suggest not napping more than 45 minutes, setting an alarm, turning off the television and to not nap in places the student studies. OED’s final recommendation is that waking up the right way is just as important as getting enough sleep. They suggest stretching after waking up and having a smoother wake up instead of jumping right up after the alarm goes off.
The do’s and don’ts of napping are pretty standard. Napping shouldn’t make someone feel guilty but should instead – with the right napping characteristics – make a busy college student’s lifestyle a little easier.
Story by Kelsey Randolph, Staff writer.