Apparently, college students are not the only ones who use libraries and meeting rooms as locations to put in some serious time working off sleep deprivation.
Two weeks ago, the venerable New York Times ran a cover story not on wars or famine or Internet billionaires suddenly unable to pay their phone bills, but on the best spots for U.N. diplomats to curl up and nap. A retired French diplomat has even published a "Zagat's"-esque guide to U.N. sleep spots, with ratings for lighting, comfort and the chances of being busted for literally sleeping on the job. What will those wacky Frenchmen come up with next?
While I find it somewhat disheartening that our diplomats are sleeping while war, disease and pestilence still plague nations around the world, I cannot say I would do any differently. As any student not angling to be an investment banker or consultant will tell you, an afternoon nap is a vitally important element of a well-rounded day. Those who are angling to be investment bankers and consultants end up taking naps, only they will not admit it. They say they were "multi-tasking to optimize future task-enhancement techniques," or something along those lines.
A nap can be restorative after a stressful morning or a night with only a few hours of sleep. It can cure boredom. It is a way of avoiding academic work or people you do not want to talk to. Health experts at the "World Napping Organization" are increasingly recommending naps in addition to exercise and a low-Twinkie diet as keys for health.
Even putting these practical concerns aside, napping can be supremely fun, especially at this time of year when we are all sick of classes, work in general, the New Jersey weather and the people that surround us. I wholeheartedly recommend at least an hour of napping each day, especially if that hour falls during a dull lecture.
I know that many of you will say that you do not have time to nap. Or maybe you are too busy and will not get ahead in life if you sleep through it. But this argument runs contrary to the napping tendencies of a number of successful people in history.
Vincent Van Gogh's "Afternoon Siesta" depicts two farmers snoozing on a bale of hay under the sun. No one looking at the painting can doubt Van Gogh's appreciation of afternoon sleep. While artists probably have more time for naps than workers in more strenuous fields, naps by no means preclude success in other enterprises. John D. Rockefeller, arguably the most successful businessman of all time, attributed his achievement and longevity primarily to God's will, but also to nine hours of nightly sleep and an after-lunch siesta. General Joseph-Jacques-Césaire Joffre, supreme French military commander at the beginning of World War I, insisted on taking his scheduled naps even during battles.
While most of us are perfectly content to take a nap, some Americans feel guilty about resting in the afternoon, a sentiment that prevents us from enjoying a nap as fully as we could. Therefore, I think the University needs to establish support groups and therapy sessions to assist us in not feeling guilty about sleeping when we could be writing papers, drinking, doing class reading, playing pool or engaging in other productive activities.
While the University works on setting that up, I think we all need to make a concerted effort to ease our way into summer by napping more. I hope I do not get any replies to this column — the time you spend writing one could be better spent napping. Peter Harrell is from Atlanta, Ga. He can be reached at pharrell@princeton.edu.
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