Do you ever just feel tired? Tired of school, tired of extracurricular activities, or tired of work? Yeah, sure, you can try to get more sleep, but let’s be realistic, there’s not enough time in the day to complete assignments and get sufficient sleep. Schools should provide students with an opportunity to rejuvenate themselves, and this is where nap time plays a key role. Schools should provide a designated time for students to just sleep because it would help improve grades and could boost students’ morale.

Think back to when you were in preschool. Didn’t it feel amazing to take a nap during the middle of school? You would wake up happy and full of energy. As kids, it was fundamental that we had nap times because sleep plays a critical role in learning and memory, emotional regulation and is related to brain structure development. However, it is also critical that teens get nap time now that they are older.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, people who take naps have an improved mood throughout the day compared to people who didn’t get enough sleep at night, which can cause them to be rude and unpleasant to be around throughout their day. There is a positive correlation between napping and your mood. If students were to have better moods and enjoy their days at school, there could be fewer disciplinary actions and lead to an overall better school.

Researchers believe naps might be key to boosting neurocognitive function in early adolescents. In America, normally, no one takes a nap during the middle of their day, and it may even seem odd to you if you do know someone who does. However, in China, time for napping is built into the post-lunch schedule for many adults in work settings and students at schools. With this newfound energy, your concentration and information retention increase and thus be a key to better grades.

According to Emily Walker, Cartersville Highschool’s AP Psychology teacher,” Teens need a minimum of nine hours of sleep per night for optimal brain function. Naps after lunch can be a way to beat the afternoon circadian slump and overcome chronic sleep deprivation, therefore, boosting brain function.” Your circadian rhythm is our alertness level dips and rises throughout each 24-hour period, affecting the amount of sleepiness and wakefulness we experience during the day. It is so important because your circadian rhythm helps guide your body to let it know when to sleep and when to be awake.

Whether you’re against or for giving high school students nap time, we can all agree that sleep is vital in maintaining a healthy life. However, if schools put a little more consideration into their students’ lives and schedules, they would see that this could help them monumentally. Think of it as a win, win situation. If students are less stressed and tired, their grades improve, therefore improving their school’s qualifications.