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By: Koeyn Hulbert 9/2/26
Day after day, tons of EJHS students come to school feeling tired and unrejuvenated, which isn’t ideal for a 6-hour school day. Most people think that only toddlers and kids in elementary school need naps, but on the contrary, taking naps can also help middle school students in many ways. Even short naps can improve academic performance, mental health, and give students time in extracurricular activities after school to take a break.
EJHS students laying down for a nap.
Studies have shown that taking a short nap, even just 20-30 minutes, during the day can help with students’ grades. Oxfordlearning.com says, “Research shows that even short naps of 20-30 minutes can improve cognitive performance, attention, and memory retention.” Taking a small part of the day to lie down, relax, and take a break can greatly benefit students’ performance in school. Kinley Wright says, “It would help improve academic success because you can ingrain it into your brain, like how people say to 'sleep on it’.” When people say to “Sleep on it”, they don’t just say it to say it; it actually works, and research can prove it.
After-school activities like sports or clubs also make it harder for students to get enough sleep that they need for the next day. After 6 hours of learning, students get released to go to practices or meetings for whatever extracurricular they participate in. These activities usually last 1-2 hours before they can go home. Once they get home, they have to do their homework for the next day. Not to mention, if a student-athlete has a game or meet, that will be even later in the evening, pushing their time back farther until they get to rest. With all that being said, a break in the middle of the school day would give these students time to restart their brain and give them a bit more energy to finish out their day. Aspen.edu explains how taking a short midday nap can make the difference between waking up refreshed and feeling groggy for the rest of the day.
Especially during the middle of the school year, students’ mental health can start to decline. A nap during the school day can make a difference in students’ moods by just giving them a break to shut their brains off for a little bit. Penntoday.upenn.edu says,”...revealed a connection between midday napping and greater happiness, self-control, and grit;” Happiness is key to being a good student with good mental health. If a student’s mental health is poor, how are they supposed to get through the school day doing well? When asked if EJHS should have nap time, Delaney Hayden replies, “I agree because they already make us wake up early, then we have to deal with annoying kids, and then sports, so we need more sleep.” Delaney’s perspective shows that it can be hard to maintain good mental health, so a nap time would be greatly appreciated by students.
A kid falling asleep in class.
In conclusion, EJHS offering a nap time would be great for students. It would improve grades, give students in extracurricular activities more time to rest, and improve the mental health of students at the school. So next time someone tells you to take a nap, don’t feel like a toddler; instead, think of the benefits it could give you.
Sources: Oxfordlearning.com, aspen.edu, penntoday.upenn.edu, Kinley Wright, and Delaney Hayden
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