N aps are good. Naps won’t ever leave you, run away from you, lie to you or steal from you. They are wholesomely good for you and might just be the key to being a successful student at UNC and a happy, productive member of society.
The benefits of napping are extensive: increased alertness and mental performance, reduced fatigue and an improved mood, just to name a few.
But sleep isn’t always appropriately valued. Think back to high school. Many high school college counselors choose to tell their students using some sort of infographic that once they arrive at college, they must choose two of the three pillars of college existence: schoolwork, a social life and sleep. This is a lie.
All three of these “pillars” are necessary for a well-rounded, mentally- and physically-healthful life. College life should be about way more than having these three necessities fight a losing battle among themselves.
Research shows that five times as many students in 2007 met or surpassed clinical cutoffs of stable stress levels in one or more mental health categories as compared with students measured several decades before.
Enter naps. Naps could very well be the savior of our restless college lives. Napping in the morning, evening or anytime in between has been proven to significantly reduce stress. Moreover, generally being less sleepy will help us perform better in class.
We won’t always be fortunate enough to maintain a full sleep schedule in our busy lives. We are, however, able to pause Netflix or stop doing schoolwork for 30 minutes in the middle of the day to take a nap.
So, UNC, stop, drop and get cozy. We deserve this.
