The first starting take naps at my desk in a UK university, I woke up to find several concerned classmates standing around me.
“Are you okay?” one asked.
“Do you need help?” said another.
I was fine—just deeply relaxed. But clearly, desk naps don’t translate across cultures. In China, where I grew up, napping after lunch is entirely normal. It’s so routine that no one thinks twice about it.
Li Yun, a Chinese student, recalls how deeply embedded the habit of napping was in her school life.
“When I was in high school and things got really stressful, I would sometimes sneak in extra study time during the nap break,” she said. “But even the strictest teachers would stop me and tell me to rest—‘your health comes first,’ they’d say.”
British sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan agrees that there’s value in taking time to rest.
“A lunchtime nap can measurably improve mental performance—things like solving mathematical problems or recalling words,” she explains. “It increases cognitive performance and also gives you a short-term energy boost.”
So, while we know naps can be beneficial, are they truly necessary? Is the effect mostly psychological—or is it something our bodies actually need?
According to Dr Ramlakhan, the need for a midday break is tied to how our nervous system manages energy.
Our bodies follow a 24-hour circadian rhythm—we’re alert during the day and recover at night. But within this daily cycle, there’s also a shorter rhythm, called the ultradian rhythm, which lasts around 90 minutes.
This rhythm not only shapes how we sleep at night but also influences our energy patterns during the day.
“We also have this sort of intermittent need for recovery,” she says, “which continues throughout our waking hours as well—and in particular at lunchtime.”
Science may back the benefits of napping, but is the habit likely to catch on in the UK?
Among the five British students I spoke to, most responded positively to the idea of lunchtime naps. Although none had experienced them in school, they were open to the concept.
“It sounds great! Who doesn’t like sleep?” one said with a laugh.
Another added, “It actually makes a lot of sense. I’d do it if there were a space for it.”
But not everyone felt the same. Ben Carter, 22, a student at the University of Sheffield, said:
“I’d say no. It’s a bit awkward for me. If you’re in a public space and you start snoring or something, it might bother other people.”
Whether embraced or avoided, one thing is clear: in a world that rarely slows down, learning to rest well might be more important than ever.
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