What is Nap Time and How it Can Affect Students

Oct 17, 2017

Naptime – the word conjures up images of toddlers and pre-schoolers curled up under blankets and sleeping their weariness off while giving their poor teachers some time to relax. However, these days it isn’t just the little ones who need naptime. Schools have started initiatives that allow high school students to take 20 minute naps either in between classes or after classes.

What is a nap? Technically speaking, a nap is defined as a period of sleep that is typically short and is taken between nine in the morning and nine in the evening, most often when the person taking the nap is feeling drowsy during waking hours. It is viewed differently in different cultures. In some European countries it is a cultural staple with working people being given time off from work every day to take a nap. In Western culture, it has only been seen as necessary for children and elderly people, not working adults.

Recently, the term ‘power nap’ came into being. It started out as something sleep-deprived adults could use – a ten minute recharge that would improve their energy levels and efficiency. Today, not only has it become a part of adult lexicon, many high school teenagers are finding out that they benefit from it too.

Why Students Need Nap Time

The fact is that students face a lot of pressure to excel both inside and outside the class. Their days are so packed with homework, sports, extracurricular activities and so on, that they aren’t getting the recommended ten hours of sleep every night. This type of regular sleep deprivation results in problems related to behaviour and cognitive issues. In fact, such students are much more likely to undergo depression, be distracted and be unable to do critical thinking. They can even face serious health issues such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Unfortunately, this state of sleep deprivation is very common amongst high school students. Some of them are only getting five to six hours of sleep, while others get even less. Their social and academic demands are such that they end up staying up late in the night and getting up very early every morning. While some middle and high schools have extended their start time to 8.30 a.m., it isn’t always enough.

Nap Time Techniques

Recognizing the fact that sleep-deprived students are only trying to stay awake in class and not really being able to pay attention, some schools have incorporated sleep pods, which can be used by students to nap in between classes. The pods have a chair that is reclined and a dome-shaped bubble that offers them sensory-reduction. This bubble closes around their torso and head. One push of a button activates soothing sounds and light that allow a student to rest for 20 minutes before waking him or her up.

Other schools have instituted the Power Napping Club. This club allows students to get some shut-eye for about 20 minutes at the end of the school day. Once they awake they can move on to whatever extracurricular activities they have planned. Some schools have incorporated transcendental meditation into their routines. Twice a day for 15 minutes, students from the sixth, seventh and eighth grade meditate silently.

Benefits of Nap Time

Educators speak glowingly of these techniques and the results that they have produced. Not only does this kind of relaxation help to restore energy levels, but also relax the students. They have been proven to help students remember what they learnt earlier in the day. Studies have also shown that taking power naps in the middle of the day helps to improve test scores and even boost productivity.

As it that weren’t all, the effects of transcendental meditation can clearly be seen in the students. The schools where this technique was applied were in a troubled part of San Francisco. As a result, students were witness to a lot of aggression, which they brought to school with them. Fights broke out as often as two to three times a week. After the schools incorporated transcendental meditation into their daily routines, it was found that not only did attendance and academic performance increase, but that school suspensions were down by as much as 79 percent.

While the idea of power napping and related techniques does have its detractors, there is no getting around the fact that high school students today face an unprecedented amount of pressure and are getting nowhere near the amount of sleep they need. While power napping isn’t a substitute for proper sleep, it does help boost energy levels and get students through the day making them more efficient.

Article Posted in: Education Learning Students Tutor

Justin Goh

Justin Goh is a former teacher and prolific writer, penning blogs to help the parents, students and the educators alike. Regularly contributing articles for MyPrivateTutor Malaysia, he prefers to write on varying aspects of education ranging from learning strategies and preparation tips to the ways to reach out to the students better.

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