All the different types of nap you’ll have at UVA

It’s been a long semester

Let’s face it, no matter how great your time management skills are, everyone college student is chronically sleep deprived. Living in a vortex of classes, extracurriculars, exams, all nighters, social interaction, work, exercise, and personal well-being is a recipe for exhaustion. It’s tough to survive without the occasional nap–something you probably never appreciated when you were young, but would kill for at this exact moment in time.

Every college student is different when it comes to catching Zs, but if you’re as savvy of a napper as me, you’ve probably experienced all of these…

The library power nap

Location: Can take place in the seclusion of a Clem 1 cubicle or anywhere as public as the naked room in Clark…a completely personal choice.

Duration: Hopefully you wake up before you’re required to be somewhere important or before you start publicly drooling.

Purpose: You need a little energy boost, but the Greenberry’s lattes and Awake bars aren’t cutting it anymore. You don’t have enough time to go home before your next class, so your nearest available surface becomes your temporary pillow.

Warning: You are basically guaranteed to end up on someone’s Snapchat story if you make yourself public enough.

The weekend recovery nap

Location: Back where you belong. Your bed. Where you should have stayed all morning.

Duration: You tell yourself it’s going to be a “quick recharge,” but the next thing you know, it’s 8pm on a Sunday and you feel arguably worse.

Purpose: You had a little too much fun over the weekend and must now pay the price.

Warning: Can last an eternity if you let it.

The post-darty nap and rally

Location: Hopefully not a bar…please go home.

Duration: Realistically, this can only last a couple hours if you want enough time to shower and de-zombie-fy yourself before the rally.

Purpose: You spent your whole day drinking but are determined to make it back out that night.

Warning: “Rally” component is not guaranteed.

The unintentional Netflix nap

Location: Your splendid bed or couch.

Duration: You only doze off for a few minutes because your show is still playing in the background and you were probably mid-bite of whatever snack you were eating.

Purpose: This is the best way to unwind after a long day of classes or an exam. It’s also proven to be the most effective procrastination technique.

Warning: Don’t expect to ever be productive if you’re prone to this kind of nap.

The mid-lecture nap

Location: Any one of UVA’s renowned lecture halls (most likely Chem 402).

Duration: These never last more than a few minutes, either because your friend starts nudging you or your professor’s drone brings you back to reality.

Purpose: You are tired and your lecture is (unfortunately) not riveting enough to keep you awake.

Warning: Snag a back row seat if you are prone to this kind of nap, otherwise your professor will not be afraid to call you out in front of 300+ people.

The “I’m-just-going to shut my eyes for a few minutes” nap

Location: Somewhere you definitely did not mean to fall asleep.

Duration: Almost always longer than you intended.

Purpose: Just when you need a quick energy boost.

Warning: Be prepared to wake up 5+ hours later, sweaty and very confused.

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