Living the College Life: Are Naps a Good Idea?

Buy this book »

Students who never napped before college might find them hard to resist once they get settled in their routines"especially if the routines include challenging classes, late nights, and early mornings. A student might return to her dorm room after lunch"say around 2 p.m."put on some music, sit on the bed briefly, decide to lie down for a moment to stretch, realize that she only had six hours of sleep last night, and then figure she's entitled to an extra hour or so of shut-eye.

She'll fall into a deep sleep, and wake to the sounds of her floormates talking in the hallway . . . about . . . going to dinner.

Yes, dinner. Time can sail by when you're comfortable and undisturbed because your roommate's in biology lab for the afternoon. As a result, 2 p.m. can quickly turn into 5 p.m.

Samuel Bair (University of Alaska Anchorage) likes his naps, but to avoid drifting asleep for the afternoon or early evening, he sets his alarm clock.

That works well"unless, like Holly Woodhead has done, you smack the snooze bar into submission: "Without realizing it, you have slept until 7 and still have work to finish for the next day," she says, reflecting on her own experiences.

Holly, for example, likes to take half-hour naps around 4 in the afternoon. "You will feel refreshed and ready for a long night of work," she says, although she cautions about a down side. "Four p.m. is the prime time for students to gather outside of residence halls and play soccer, Wiffle ball, or lacrosse. As a result, I often found that I would skip the nap and spend time with my friends."

While it's best for most students to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night, as noted earlier, it's not always possible, and short naps might be a necessity, not a luxury: You might occasionally work at your campus job until 11 p.m., for example, and then, at one point, have to finish an assignment until 2 a.m. With a class at 8:30 the next morning, you can expect a modest "sleep deficit" to build.

As a result, students say that short power naps help get them through the day.

Cody Quintero (University of Kansas) says brief naps reduce stress: "There are just times when you need that alone time to yourself, and even a 30-minute nap to get you reenergized makes the biggest difference," says Cody. "You can't keep your mind burning all day"it needs a break, too, in order for you to have mental wellness."

"I love naps because they can give you an extra boost of energy to finish out the day," says Ginger Ruskamp. "And sometimes when you are working on something and are very tired, it is better to take a short nap and wake up refreshed and ready to work. But excessive napping is not a good idea. It is better for your body to get into a regular sleep pattern. And this will help you have more energy in your classes to begin with."