These High Schools Are Letting Students Nap in Sleep Pods

These high schools are letting students nap in sleep pods

Only a fraction of teens are getting the recommended amount of sleep every night.

These high schools are letting students nap in sleep pods

Only a fraction of teens are getting the recommended amount of sleep every night.

These high schools are letting students nap in sleep pods

Only a fraction of teens are getting the recommended amount of sleep every night.

Nap time isn't just for the pre-K set anymore. High schools in New Mexico are testing out the use of sleep pods to let students nap between classes, according to NBC News. The plan is to help teens who need between nine and 10 hours of sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health, which reports that only a third of teens are getting even eight hours of sleep. The first pod was purchased in 2008 and more were bought in 2011 thanks to mental health grants from the state. And students are reporting that they quick trips to the pod help them focus and combat anxiety. "It really was beneficial, educationally, to put them in the pod for 20 minutes and send them back to class, rather than have them miss half a day," Sandy Peugh, a school nurse in the district, told the Sante Fe New Mexican. "And it wasn't just kids who had sleep issues. It worked on kids who had anxiety — extremely gifted kids who might have test anxiety. Teachers came in, stressed out, and we'd put them in the pod." And to parents who question whether or not the naps are a good use of school time, Linda Summers, a sleep researcher at New Mexico State University, tells NBC News: "Why are they not in science or math class? Well, they could be. But they wouldn't be listening, they wouldn't be paying attention, and so this way we can get them to go back to class and focus."

Good Housekeeping —

Nap time isn't just for the pre-K set anymore. High schools in New Mexico are testing out the use of sleep pods to let students nap between classes, according to .

The plan is to help teens who need between nine and 10 hours of sleep, according to the , which reports that only a third of teens are getting even eight hours of sleep.

The first pod was purchased in 2008 and more were bought in 2011 thanks to mental health grants from the state. And students are reporting that they quick trips to the pod help them focus and combat anxiety.

"It really was beneficial, educationally, to put them in the pod for 20 minutes and send them back to class, rather than have them miss half a day," Sandy Peugh, a school nurse in the district, told the . "And it wasn't just kids who had sleep issues. It worked on kids who had anxiety — extremely gifted kids who might have test anxiety. Teachers came in, stressed out, and we'd put them in the pod."

And to parents who question whether or not the naps are a good use of school time, Linda Summers, a sleep researcher at New Mexico State University, tells NBC News: "Why are they not in science or math class? Well, they could be. But they wouldn't be listening, they wouldn't be paying attention, and so this way we can get them to go back to class and focus."

��vlog