It’s the beginning of fifth period. After a heavy, fulfilling lunch, my body falls into what is commonly referred to as a food coma. Coupled with the average of four hours of sleep I receive per night in my junior year, it is a recipe for disaster. Just as the class clock strikes 40 minutes, my eyes begin to drift closed.
Around the classroom, most of my classmates are looking no better — multiple heads are down on desks as they fight sleep.
For my fellow upperclassmen, sleep deprivation is a constant issue as we work our way through a heavy course load of many difficult classes and time-consuming extracurriculars. Many teachers often find themselves shocked at the number of students they see drifting into sleep during class.
However, the solution has been under their noses the entire time: dedicated in-class nap time.
Rather than chastising sleeping in class, they should promote it. Including a 30-minute nap time in the middle of the school day would improve student health, both physically and mentally. A practice that many of us took for granted as kindergarteners could makeean a world of difference for us today.
The practice should take place right after lunch, when many begin to feel drowsy after eating a meal. Allowing students to recharge before moving on to the next class has been proven to improve performance, according to the Institute for the Future of Education. What more could you ask for? More naps means better grades.
Taking naps throughout the day has also been proven to lower blood pressure and improve the quality of sleep at night. Consequently, these benefits have been shown to increase lifespan.
In countries such as Spain, the siesta, or afternoon nap, is integrated into school and work culture, with many schools even breaking at around 2 p.m. for a scheduled nap time.
According to Healthline, over 73% of high school students do not sleep enough each night, and falling asleep or zoning out in class can often lead to them missing crucial information in lectures or project instructions. I have fallen victim to this in some classes, later scrambling to borrow notes from my wide-awake friends afterwards.
Nap time shouldn’t become a permanent solution. Students all go to bed at varying hours for varying reasons, though scrolling through TikTok for three hours before starting your homework may not be a justifiable one. Rather than trying to solve the problem of unhealthy bedtimes, treat the symptoms. Allocate time for students to rest and recharge during the day, and everyone will be at their happiest and sharpest as the school day ends.
