The best places to nap on ISU’s campus

Let’s be real, most of us have probably gotten drowsy or fallen asleep on campus more than once. Given that we’re one of the most sleep-deprived schools in the country, that’s totally excusable. Although it can be awkward to randomly pass out on campus (drool, anyone?), sometimes it’s necessary.

Here are the best spots on Iowa State’s campus to sneak in a mid-afternoon snooze.

The library

The library is full of places to study… and nap. There are places to hide and take a quick 20-minute catnap. The good part about the library is that it’s usually so quiet, no one will bother you, and you’ll be left to sleep your day away. Just avoid the third floor because that’s where most of the people meeting with their friends and groups meet at, so try for floors one, three or four. I highly recommend the comfy chairs by the windows to sleep.

The Biofeedback Center

The Biofeedback Center on the 3rd floor of the Student Services Building is a tool on campus that helps students learn how to reduce stress and anxiety. In order to use the Biofeedback Center, you have to go through an orientation and speak with the staff, but after that, you are free to come in whenever you want and take care of yourself. While the staff does not allow students to go in to the center purely to take a nap, they don’t say anything if you fall asleep doing your exercises and treatments to reduce the stress and anxiety built up in your body. The chairs are state of the art, and extremely comfy, making it quite easy to fall asleep in the quiet environment.

The back row of every lecture hall on campus (seriously they’re so comfy)

Lectures are the bane of every college student’s existence. They are extraordinarily boring and usually just the basic classes that you can bullshit your way through. I have extreme OCD and can’t bring myself to skip class, unless I oversleep my 8am (which happens at least once a month, if not more). Therefore, I catch up on my sleep by dozing through my 8am class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I don’t doze everyday, but it happens more often than I’m willing to admit. The comfiest seats in the lecture halls on campus are in the back row, so I recommend that’s where you sleep during lecture. Unfortunately, lectures become less common the further into your studies you get, so take advantage while you can.

The Hamilton Hall lounge

I spend 90% of my time on campus in Hamilton Hall, the journalism building. There is a lounge on the first floor that is pretty large and has, in my opinion, the comfiest chairs on campus. I spend most of my days in there either studying or waiting for class to start. I have taken the occasional nap in those chairs I spend all of my time in. On some days when I’m running on four to five hours of sleep, I can’t help but doze off in one of my favorite places on campus. Also, no one ever bothers you in the lounge if you’re sleeping or doing your work, so take advantage of it because there are not many places like that on campus.

Central campus

Probably the most common place to take a nap is on central campus on a nice day. Central campus resembles a park, and when it’s warm and sunny, there are students lying in the grass everywhere. They bring blankets out and either study with friends or nap. Hammocking is also common on central campus – the trees are sprinkled with different colors from the hammocks and backpacks hung up in trees. It’s also peaceful because no one is cramped because of lack of space, so it’s an easy place to relax and just sleep the day away.