Get on your ass and nap!

Catnap, power nap, pass out, rest your eyes, lay down a while and take a load off.

It means something different to everyone. For me, it means I was up until four in the morning writing a paper and am now suffering from PTMLAF syndrome, pronounced pah-tim-laugh.

Napping at school is totally acceptable as long as your drooling is discrete and snoring is kept to a minimum. Photo Illustration: James Wilt

PTMLAF stands for “Poor Time Management Lazy as Fuck,” and I know you’ve had it before. It’s that feeling of zombie-ing through the day after a busy night of homework. But fear not! Experts are seeing the benefits of the easiest way to get through PTMLAF — the power nap.

The nap is the solution to getting eight hours of sleep in a twenty-four hour period, even if it’s not in one go. Just when you’re about to burn out, the power nap blasts your ass back into action. (Yay, only 500 words to go in this essay due in an hour.)

The best part is it’s actually good for you! Not just because I said so, although that’s a legitimate reason if you want to use it, but because sleep experts and doctors alike are giving the power nap a big thumbs-up.

In a study from the University of California, San Diego, napping was found to give better results than caffeine, and it gives you time to creatively solve your problems (while asleep).

Longer naps (think 90 minutes or so) also have been shown to improve memory retention and motor skills.

If that’s not a good enough reason to snooze, then I don’t know what is. In fact, I’ve discovered some pretty great places to nap on campus.

The “individual silent study” cubicles at the library are my No. 1. The desks are both wide and long enough to fit a standard pillow or a cushy coat/backpack/purse.

It’s quiet, the hum of the fluorescent lights is soothing, and no one is going to intrude or point out your puddle of drool. From a distance, it just looks as if you’re hunched over your paper, hard at work. Ha!

The second is the couches outside of both first and second floor recreation areas. Maybe I was just really tired, but I found those cushy seats to be perfect for curling up. The sectional design helps to accommodate almost every sleeping position, so enjoy.

If you want to have better short and long term memory to ace those tests, or if you’d like to be rested enough to function a level higher than the walking dead, the power-nap might be the right thing for you.

Happy napping!