Grades, social life, sleep. For many students, having all three is a luxury. And too often, sleep is the first thing to be sacrificed. Not a good move, though, since adequate, good-quality sleep is a major contributor to student success.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, "college students who are poor sleepers are much more likely to earn worse grades and withdraw from a course than healthy sleeping peers."
Even so, too often sleep deprivation is not taken as seriously as other problems on university campuses, like substance abuse and sexual health.
In a 2015 survey at CSU Fullerton, 70 percent of students surveyed said they typically got six or fewer hours of sleep each night. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that those between the ages of 18 to 25 get seven to nine hours of sleep nightly.
In response to the sleep crisis on college campuses, CSU Fullerton and CSU Northridge are encouraging daytime naps as one way to support academic performance and improve overall wellness.
Sleep: A Necessity, Not a Luxury
CSU Fullerton hosts occasional events like Sleep Eazzy, which invites all students to come and take naps in a safe space. During the event, held in the spring, the school also provides information on wellness, stressing the importance of sleep as a way to counteract the toll of round-the-clock study sessions.
Earlier this month, CSU Fullerton hosted Nappify, a mobile nap pod created by CSUF alum, Kevin Pham. Nappify offers four nap pods for 40-minute nap sessions.
"There is a large misconception [about] sleep health amongst college students—namely that sleep is a luxury, not a necessity," says Gloria Flores, MPH, a health educator in CSU Fullerton's Health Education and Promotion Department.
CSU Northridge Provides a Safe Space to Sleep
The Oasis Wellness Center at CSU Northridge offers six nap pods and one ADA-accessible flat bed that students can use throughout the day. For a blissful 45 minutes, students can snooze in the half-dome accompanied by soft music and lights and subtle vibrations on the back.
"Students at CSUN need these pods and places of quiet relaxation," wrote one student in an anonymous survey. Oasis gives students that quiet, private place to sleep.
Students "live in a time where they compete on who slept the least. Sleep deprivation has become a source of pride, which is dangerous," says Angela Faissal, manager of the Oasis Wellness Center. "Students need to squeeze in naps throughout the day to get their alertness back and increase brain fuel."