Kansas college installs sleeping pods around campus so tired students can nap
The daily college toil of classes, work and late-night studying (or partying) can be taxing, leaving some students snoozing in the library. So Emporia State University figured it could help by putting beds in public places.
The university is only the second in the United States to install sleeping pods designed by San Diego-based HOHM for students, faculty and staff. These tiny soundproof bedrooms, 43.5-square-feet, are slightly wider than a twin bed, with enough room for a nightstand and charging station. Curtains and window blinds keep them private.
“We know that our students, on any campus really, are already napping,” said university spokeswoman Gwen Larson. “You can walk through a campus and see students with their head down on a table or curled up in a comfy chair taking a nap. These sleep pods just give them a safe place to get a really good snooze.”
Larson said the American Sleep Association recommends college students get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. At least 50% of college students exhibit daytime sleepiness, according to Stanford University’s Department for Diagnosis. And the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says not getting enough sleep can tank a student’s grades.
“We know that good sleep plays a vital role in overall health and well-being,” said Jim Williams, vice president of student affairs. “These sleeping pods can help our students reap the benefits of being rested.”
Indeed, earlier this month, the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, found napping has long-term health benefits: People who took a sleep respite once or twice weekly for five minutes to an hour were 48% less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
Other schools, including the University of Miami, Wesleyan University, Stanford University and Washington State University, have followed the lead of some international airports by installing sleeping tubes, which look more like a lounging couch with a privacy hood. They’re in libraries, health centers and other campus spots.
But Emporia’s pods are really rooms, offering more privacy.
Students hired by HOHM are stationed near each pod to help the tired folks check in and check out and ensure only one student is using it at a time. They clean rooms and change sheets after each use, Larson said.
One pod was installed about a week ago in the campus library. Another one is being installed next month at Memorial Union. Both of them come at no cost to the university.
Students must book time online with HOHM on a first-come, first-served basis, anywhere from a 30-minute power nap to up to four hours of shut-eye. Pods are only available between 3 and 8 p.m. each day. “It’s not like a vending machine that’s available for use any time of the day or night,” Larson said.
Each month students are given two hours of free nap time in the pods. Any additional time will cost them $10 an hour.
So far, Larson said the university has not seen a rush on pod usage. “I’m not sure we have reached that real stress point yet when students are pulling all-nighters studying for midterm exams.”
HOHM officials said, however, that at Arizona State University, the only other school that has installed these bed-in-a-room sleep pods, they were “wildly successful,” with nearly 250 bookings in the first 10 weeks.
This story was originally published September 23, 2019 at 3:51 PM.
