Editorial: On-campus nap rooms could be the cutting edge

Have you ever had a day that dragged because you didn’t get enough sleep? Have you ever wanted to catch up on your sleep but found the walk back to your dorm too impractical? Have you discovered the healing powers of a good old-fashioned nap? At Harvard University Yuqi Hou, a sophomore applied mathematic major, has.

After noticing the fatigue felt by students on the Harvard campus and in response to studies that found that only 21 percent of Harvard students felt like they got enough sleep, Hou started an online petition that was voted “yes” by 191 students and sent to the Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M. Hammonds for review.

It’s no secret that as early as high school, students are subject to odd hours, vast amounts of work and an inability to get enough sleep. That problem is often exacerbated in college. While nap rooms seem like a haven for the lazy and a good place for people to abuse the rules – this might not be the case.

Nap rooms could benefit students on any college campus. In 2009 at the University of Colorado Boulder they established “siesta rooms” for the purpose of giving students on the campus a good centrally located place to catch a few winks in between classes.

Ideally, the rooms being called for at Harvard would be cool, quiet, have curtains for privacy and a cushion on the ground for students to relax. It would eliminate students sleeping in places meant for studying like lounges or the library and give those who live far off campus, particularly commuters a way to possibly increase their productivity and mood. Even here at UConn, students who abuse study areas for naps are a bit of an inconvenience and noticeable problem. Perhaps not one that calls for a necessity of a nap room, but it couldn’t hurt. This is especially true when you consider how easily such a nap space would be to create.

Here at UConn commuter students regularly complain that their needs aren’t adequately met in some way or another be it through parking, dining or any other general convenience that is sacrificed for not living on or near campus. Nap rooms could be one way to make commuters feel less at odds with the university or their studies.

At first glance, a nap room sounds silly and impractical. However, when you consider the benefits that naps can have, especially on a generation of people who are having the most difficult time getting enough sleep, it doesn’t seem that strange. While it’s nowhere near a necessity to put one in at UConn, it might be a nice gesture to get on the cutting edge alongside Harvard to try and give students a bit of comfort to extend their productivity and help with a very old problem that students have with getting enough sleep.