Doctors are in agreement about the importance of sleep for your health and well-being: Sleep helps your body grow, and it keeps you feeling happy and calm.
But getting enough sleep can feel impossible. After all, school starts early, and activities and homework keep you up late. With such a busy schedule, how can you fit in nine hours of rest?
That’s where napping during the day comes in. Although naps can’t replace a good night’s sleep, they can certainly help.
According to experts, even 20 minutes of sleep can improve your mood. For example, a brief nap can make you less likely to stress about a test or get annoyed at a friend.
In addition, research indicates that napping can help with learning. After a nap, your brain is more alert, and your memory works better too.
Just ask Vera, 15, a student at Las Cruces High School in New Mexico. Like Noah, she has fallen asleep in class—but her teachers don’t get angry.
Instead, they send Vera to use the school’s nap pod. After a 20-minute rest, she feels calm and focused. “It renews me for the rest of the day,” Vera says.