If anyone is thinking of what to do over fall break, a good way to feel refreshed is to catch up on all that sleep that you have missed out on this semester! As a student, I feel that one of my priorities, besides getting good grades, is making sure I have enough sleep.  My preferred method of doing this is napping; I feel that the best way for me to be refreshed is to take a nice long nap. However, research from Time Magazine has shown that if I must nap, 15-90 minutes is the best length of time , and the Sleep Foundation says that 20-30 minutes is the best time. This greatly cuts into my preferred amount of nap time which is around two hours. Fall break is the best time to do this, because it gives you the chance to have a relaxing nap.

This is the difference from a rushed nap that one takes because one has class in one hour. Clearly, that is the devil talking when I believe that I can wake up after only 15 minutes because I have tried getting up after 15 minutes, and in those five minutes of getting ready, I am in no mood to get out the bed to go to class or do whatever I needed to do after my snooze. However, once I get past those five minutes of regret, I am ready to focus on the rest of my day with a clearer mind. With the onset of fall break, I can fully embrace my napping potential and gleefully wreck the sleep schedule that has been carefully built up over this current semester. Truth be told, that schedule was not very firm in the first place; it was wrecked even before fall break. In any case, napping can be beneficial, mainly because it is a way to not have to to do anything, and you really do not need to spend money in order to have a good quality nap. Forget going out on fall break. I just want a decent pillow, blanket, and sleeping surface (bed, couch, etc…).

Some people may ask, “What is the best way to achieve a high quality nap?” The Sleep Foundation suggests to do it early in the day, close your blinds, and put in some earbuds that will block noise but also hopefully not prevent you from hearing the alarm that you have set up. My way is sticking my earbuds in my ears and going off to sleep, listening to some white noise. This way, I can control the amount of noise that I am hearing, while also allowing me to hear my alarm go off.

Truly, napping is the most beneficial out of all the fall break ideas, because it does not break one’s bank and it helps the people that really need to catch up on all the sleep they missed out on during midterms. Whatever your plans are for fall break, you can fit naps in if you are travelling on an airplane, train, or car (unless you cannot sleep in a car or on a moving vehicle). In which case, my condolences. In summary, napping is the perfect way to feel refreshed, and the luxury of having a long nap means that one can fully embrace being on fall break. Perhaps you will even become a nap champion over your fall break. So, in the spirit of fall break, may your blankets be warm, your pillows be fluffy, and may you find relaxation after your nap.