University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

Catching Z ' s Edited by Barbara Neyens In Mexico, the stores, restaurants and shops all closed daily for the siesta. In the Tropics and the Med- iterranean people observed afternoon rest periods as strictly as Americans val- ued their lunch hours. And at the Uni- versity, students freely adopted, and even looked forward to, this activity which their mothers had previously at- tempted to force upon them: the nap. " I take naps whenever I ' ve had a rough test or if I ' ve stayed up late study- ing. That ' s how I get through the day, " Mimi Sawatka, communications fresh- man, said. She wasn ' t alone. According to a study published in the Jan. 29, 1989, Parade Magazine, 55 percent of college students napped on a regular basis. Naps were believed to improve moods and even increase memory. Moreover, researchers found that humans had an innate tendency to sleep twice a day, at SWEET DREAMS: Scott Fredrickson, pharmacy senior, takes a break during Adds and Drops in September. photo by John Moore night and in the afternoon. Frequent nappers supported this theory. " I usually take a two-hour nap in the afternoon, so I ' m full of energy to study or go out at night, " Trey Brown, mar- keting senior, said. " After an afternoon nap, I can stay up until 2 a.m. and then sleep four or five hours. I get my seven hours of sleep that way. " But busy schedules often made it dif- ficult for students to squeeze in that much-needed rest. Some had to impro- vise. Karen Kuhn, advertising sopho- more, lived off campus and didn ' t have time to go back to her apartment be- tween classes. " I don ' t have time to come home, so I walk to a friend ' s house on campus. I sleep there and then go back to class, " she said. For those who were denied their af- ternoon repose, life could get difficult. " I get cranky or I don ' t have enough energy to study without a nap. I feel unmotivated. I end up going to bed early or just being lazy, " Sawatka said. Maybe Mom was right after all. Student Life 13