A for effort

A petition for nap education

“I’m so tired.” These three words and their variations are perhaps the most commonly heard words on campus. We’re all exhausted all the time. Between maintaining any construct of a social life, going to classes, completing homework and extracurriculars, nobody has enough time to get a full night’s sleep. Thus, we do the only thing we can. We take a nap.

The problem is, naps are tricky. For a nap to be effective, you have to sleep for just the right amount of time, in the right place, under the right conditions and more! Finding the perfect nap for you feels like taking a whole extra class. Therefore, I would like to propose a one credit per semester nap class, in which students come in and learn to take a proper nap.

The class will involve some lectures, but mostly a space for trying different lengths of naps until each student is able to find the right type of nap for them without risking being late for any events, as a professor will be there to wake them up when nap period is over. This class will be pass/fail, simply depending on each student showing up to class and giving a nap the good ol’ college try.

Whether you grew up with NEW START or CREATION Health, we all know R means Rest. The rest we get is a valuable asset, and a lack of rest sets students up for failure. As college students, it can feel almost impossible to get the rest we so desperately need. With a class that requires rest, students will be more obligated to take care of themselves while learning ways to build healthy habits.

This class will also be repeatable no matter how well students do in the class. After all, some of us need a class to give us permission to take a break. A nap class would be the perfect solution for the straight A-obsessed student to get the sleep they profoundly need.

Union College, it’s clear that nap education isn’t merely a desire from an exhausted student. It’s an underacknowledged necessity for college students who need a reason to accomplish anything. A nap class would be an excellent step in promoting healthier habits amongst those most likely to abuse their circadian rhythm. Help us help ourselves with a class that provides what we really need: rest.

By: Lacey Stecker