AKRON, Ohio — A little more rest goes a long way.
The University of Akron believes a rested mind is a necessity, so they have come up with a new innovation enabling students to get some light sleep throughout the school day.
While several studies show a well-rested mind boosts better overall mental health, UA has provided students with four nap pods across three different locations on its campus.
The pods have been a big plus for students like Ashley Brickner.
"I definitely get exhausted going to classes all day. Instead of running back to my house off-campus, I can take a nap in one of these," says Brickner. "First, it's going to save my gas money from running home just for a quick nap, but it's just so relaxing to catch a break and not have everyone staring at you if you just want to close your eyes for a moment."
The goal of the nap pods is to allow for a creative opportunity to keep students successful. Brickner says the pods have already helped her to make getting back to the books a lot easier.
"It can be hard when there's only a half hour in between classes but you don't know what to do because you're so exhausted from just staring at a professor for two hours," she adds.
The pods give students a chance to recharge with a 20 minute snooze, complete with a privacy visor, built-in-timer, and sleep music. At the end of the nap, the pod wakes up the user with a gentle but effective combination of light, sound and vibration.
Students like Brickner say being able to relax for a few minutes in between a rigorous school schedule has made a significant difference in their approach to this semester.
"This is crazy! People are napping in public and you can take a rest," she says. "I think that's nice and really healthy for Akron to offer."
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