A student petition seeks to open a nap room at Harvard. (hatwoman/Flickr)
If you had a place to take a daily nap, would you? A Harvard College sophomore is asking the school to open a nap room where students can sleep between classes.
Yuqi Hou says getting more rest will help students perform better academically.
“Most students operate daily on a sleep deficit, to the detriment of their health and productivity,” Hou told the Boston Globe. “For those getting insufficient sleep at night, naps can provide alertness and help students take a break from their hectic schedules.”
Hou submitted her proposal through Harvard’s new “We the Crimson” online petition system, where the idea received nearly 200 votes.
The Harvard Crimson reports that more than 400 undergraduates completed a survey as part of Hou’s petition, with only 21 percent saying they feel well-rested on a daily basis.
Hou’s plan is for a centrally-located room that’s divided into private spaces with curtains, with floor cushions for people to sleep on. She says students don’t have time to go back to their dorms to nap during the day.
“A lot of students here work themselves to such a degree that you might forget to take care of yourself mentally and physically,” Hou said. “I think issues that relate to well-being are really important, especially on an ultra-competitive campus like this one.”
The proposal is one of three submitted last month that will receive an official response from Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M. Hammonds.
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