Royal Purple

Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: Haley Smith Time of day is an important element in a nap. The most efficient time is early afternoon usually following lunch.

Remember the kindergarten days when most youngsters thought naptime was an inconvenient interruption in the excitement of school? Yesterday a little cot may have been the enemy. Many college students would agree that somewhere through the years, the enthusiasm for learning that once was has dwindled. In fact, many daydream of a special futon waiting at home and believe that class is the enemy.

Most college students indulge in naptime regularly to make up for lost sleep due to a taxing study load, parties and distractions such as television and the internet. College students are sleeping roughly between one and one and a half hours less and are staying up one to two hours later than the previous generation, according to the University of Michigan Health Services.

Research may have found the reasons why students show an infatuation with napping based on the benefits they believe it provides. Many students consider everything from a quick powernap to a full-out siesta marathon as advantageous to their health and study habits. Freshman Joey Molus elaborated on why he supports a mid-day rest.

"I try to get full naps in, two hours at least," Molus said "You get revitalized. "I think it's better because if I went a day without a nap I would be too tired at night to study and I would just go to bed."

One particular group of students at UW-Whitewater felt the same way about napping as Molus. In fact, these nap enthusiasts created a nap club on Facebook to promote their cause.

Many students have experienced the benefits of napping which has given them reason to become regular participants. Freshman Matthew Westphall does not know exactly why it happens, but he is confident in a nap's ability to improve his performance in class.

"I am not as tired during the day and then I do better in my classes," Westphall said.

Perhaps nap fanatics at UW-Whitewater today are the greats of tomorrow. Boston University Professor William Anthony and his wife Camille own The Napping Company. The two have acknowledged men such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Thomas Edison and JFK as "great nappers" on their Web site. The Anthonys have even created a National Workplace Napping Day observed on April 5 each year.

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