School lets sleepy students nap

It sounds like a dream, being able to nap during class without getting in trouble with the teacher.

Students in several New Mexico high schools are seeing that dream come true, sort of.

Instead of pushing back start times, a few schools in Las Cruces have brought in sleep pods, NBC News reported.

Students can now take a 20-minute doze between classes, which is helping them learn.

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The pods, made by MetroNaps, include a chair that reclines and is covered by a sensory-reduction bubble that envelops the napper's head and body, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

One school has the pods installed in its health center. They are not just being used for students and staff who feel sleepy.

Linda Summers, who secured the grant to purchase the pods, said that someone with a headache or high blood pressure, is sent to the pod. It has also helped calm down students after fights.

Instead of leaving school when they don't feel well, students were able to return to class 99 out of 100 times when school officials tracked the results.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, teenagers need 9 to 10 hours a sleep a day. But the institute's research says that 40 percent of teens report being too sleepy. Teens not only have eight hours or so of school; many have homework, sports, part-time jobs and chores to accomplish every day that cut into their sleep schedules.

For more on how to get more sleep, click here.

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