Remember being in preschool and probably some of elementary school dreading nap time? No one wanted to take a nap when they could be playing with their friends instead. We would do anything just to get out of having to take a nap throughout the day. Then the roles reversed once college hit us. Naps become something so valuable and we cherish every second of each nap. I feel like we even talk about what great of naps we take.
You know those little indentations you have when you wake up?.... We all love those sweet indention lines that indicate that bomb nap. I question myself almost everyday on why I can't become a professional napper. You can never go wrong with a nap during the day. Naps are a major key to a successful college career. That being said here are 5 things every napper should know before taking their next nap!
1. Do not nap for only 1 hour.
Napping for less than 1 hour is the average power nap, which these are usually taken in between classes. In case you were wondering, NASA said that 26 minute naps increase performance by 34 percent and alertness by 54 percent (Basically, never get on an airplane again cause you know what the pilot is doing for at least 26 minutes of the flight!) Taking a nap for an hour just makes you more sleepy and groggy because it's time to wake up right whenever you've hit your deep sleep. So always keep it shorter or longer than an hour!
2. Set your alarm to give you just enough time to get to class.
Getting to the next class or meeting is what is important, so if that means setting your alarm for 12:43 when you have class at 1 by all means that extra 3 minutes of nap time is going to benefit you.
3. Reward yourself with a nap.
If you have a quiz in your biology class and a test in your government class that you need to study for, rewarding yourself with a nap is the best thing you can do. Before and after that is. Study hard for an 1 hour and a half and then hit the hay for a solid nap. You know Freud's theory of positive reinforcement or whatever? Yeah apply that using naps!
4. Naps relieve stress.
What better way to get all your stress of your shoulders for a little bit than taking a nap? I think we all agree that college is pretty hard. If you are stressed about that parking ticket you got last week or how you need to find a way to get that 79 to an 80. Just take a nap. It can cure it all (at least for a small bit of time). Just kick back, grab a pillow and take a nap to forget about your stress for some time.
5. Napping is better than filling up on sugar.
Even though we all depend on sugar to give us the energy we need to stay up and study, it is the wrong way to do so. Instead of getting jacked up on some sugar take a short nap (or a long nap). It is healthier to take a nap than eat that bag of gummy worms with that red bull. So instead of giving yourself cavities and asking for the freshman 15, replace that with a nap.
