The Beauty of Nap Time
I never napped in high school. In fact, it really only happened if I was sick… or if I had pulled an all nighter binge watching Netflix or doing homework. Much to my surprise, in the two months that I have been at Elon, napping has become part of my daily routine. I live for being able to crawl back in bed for an hour to take a quick nap… And I’ve realized I’m not alone in this. Whenever I text a friend, it often takes a while to get a response because she is squeezing in the crucial mid-afternoon nap.
My designated naptime is directly after my 8am class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. People always told me that there is a lot of free time in college, but that you really need it. I didn’t understand this until I started. I am always busy at the craziest of times, so it is impossible to go to sleep at an early hour, even if I want to. At home, if I wanted to sleep, all that I needed to do was go to my room and shut the door. At college, there is much more excitement. Whether I am socializing with my roommate, people on my floor, or sitting in the library stuck with hours of homework, it becomes much more arduous to fall asleep whenever I want. All the free time when I’m not in class really is filled up.
The latest that I can ever sleep during the week, due to classes, is 8:45. Because of this, I many times find myself feeling like I have no energy. How in the world did I wake up at 6:45 for high school every day? Those naps that I take, even if they are only for 20 minutes, have become vital for my sanity and my academic success. For a girl who always resented herself for her desire, but inability, to nap, it’s pretty surprising that she now considers herself a napper. I am proud to call myself a newfound napper, and I thank Elon dearly for bringing out this ability within me that had previously seemed impossible.