The PowerPoint presentation illuminates the screen as class begins.

The professor speaks, bombarding you with information that appears as bulleted text on the screen.

For some of you, this heralds the beginning of the inevitable end. Your vision blurs, eyelids descend and before you know it you’ve formed a small puddle of drool on your desktop.

Although the only thing you took from class was an imprint of a spiral notebook on your forehead, napping can be a great use of your time – if done properly.

Dr. William Anthony, professor at Boston University and author of “The Art of Napping,” said students should view napping as an important part of their lives.

“[College] is an expensive place where parents send their kids to hone their napping skills,” Anthony said.

For students, the best time to take a nap is between classes, and although it would be nice to sleep at home for an hour, there usually isn’t time for that making campus a convenient location.

Anthony has witnessed many imaginative napping locations, including inside a bathroom stall, which he says is more common than one might think because it offers a quiet and private environment.

Finding a spot to nap can be a big challenge, because there is no single situation in which everybody’s optimum napping specifications will be met.

“Napping is like beauty,” Anthony said. “It’s in the eyes of the beholder – in this case the very sleepy eyes of the beholder.”

College is an important time to establish habits to carry on to adult life, and from what experts are saying, napping is one of the most important habits to start.

Napping lengths

Another thing to consider is the duration of your naps. Napping for too long can result in what Anthony described as “sleep inertia” – feeling more groggy when you wake up than you did before you took the nap. Anthony has found that no specific amount of time works for everybody, but the most popular nap lengths lie between 20 and 30 minutes.

“Stop studying – take a nap!”

Anthony recommended people to take a nap everyday, but for the college student, it can be hard to fit time for a nap around all of the rigors of school. Further, taking a nap break can actually be a helpful studying tool. Napping will help you to retain more of what you learn, making the time spent napping potentially more beneficial than time spent trying to keep your mind on your work.

Sleeping tips:

It’s sometimes hard to get comfortable, here’s some tips on sleeping positions from Dr. Scott D. Boden, director of Emory Orthopedics & Spine Center in Atlanta.

1. Use the fetal position. Lay on your side with your back slightly curved, and your knees brought towards the chest. This reduces stress on your back.

2. Don’t lay on your stomach – this can cause unnatural bending of the spine.

3. If you prefer sleeping on your back, place some sort of cushioning below your knees to relieve pressure on your back.

– Source: www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=16078

Top five places to nap:

1. Parks Library – find a chair in the sun or your own private getaway in the solitude of the fourth floor.

2. LeBaron Lounge – A popular napping spot complete with couches and a great view of the LeBaron courtyard.

3. Memorial Union – The Sun Room and the Browsing Library are both prime napping locations.

4. Howe Hall – Go through the front door, down the stairs and you’ll find a dimly lit oasis full of couches, perfect for between-class shut-eye.

5. Union Drive Community Center – For those who like to sleep after eating.