VCU installs nap pods on campus: ‘I really needed this’

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT)—We all experience those moments when we wish we could take a nap at work or school.

For VCU students, it is no longer a wish; it’s their reality.

Nap pods were recently installed in three places across campus, all thanks to a student’s invention.

The idea for these nap pods came from a student sleep study research project. They are a way for students to relax and unwind.

For “Project Z,” Anirudh Mepperla, an aspiring doctor, asked several people around campus what they struggle with.

Mepperla says lack of sleep was the most common response.

The nap pods are his solution.

“To re-energize, get your mind a break for a nap, you know, it really just relaxes your body, making you more prepared, more energized going into your next lecture class, or whether that be a lecture or just another study session that you’re going or taking a break in between studying,” VCU student and sleep student researcher Anirudh Mepperla said.

There are three different pod versions across campus.

“You can jump in for 20 minutes and set a program to energize yourself, or to meditate, or to just, you know, spend time chillaxing, not actually sleeping,” VCU professor Kirk Richardson said.

Richardson, the professor overseeing the research project, says the pods benefit the commuter students most.

“If you have a class at like 10 in the morning and one of three in the afternoon, even if you live in town, getting off campus and recharging in some way is gonna be a little bit more stressful than just sticking around, and so we wanted to provide an opportunity for people to stick around and grab some naps,” Richardson said.

Richardson and Mepperla say that the response from faculty and students has been positive so far.

“I have never received such a great reaction, from top down, or from bottom up, whichever way you want to say it, from students, from my colleagues, other teachers, administrators. Everybody recognizes the need for sleep, for students,” Richardson said.

“I could put this in quotes because I just read this before this [interview]. It said, I really needed this before my next lecture class, and it just brought joy to my face, knowing that I’m impacting, you know, other people in a positive way,” Mepperla said.

VCU says it plans to continue installing more nap pods across campus.