A front desk employee shows Cursor where the two pods are located. We go down the stairs to the lowest level of the library. It’s unclear whether someone is inside the power nap pod – it’s closed, but there are no shoes placed in front of it – so we knock. This wakes up Hazel Lim, a hardworking data science student. This is the first time she has used this resting space.

“I actually slept and it really helped. This morning, I was in the Auditorium and nearly dozed off in my seat. Then I remembered a social media post about these pods and decided to try it out.” Lim spends long days studying in the library during exam periods. “When I want to clear my head, I sometimes take a five- or ten-minute walk. If that’s not enough, I go home. But that’s where my bed is so I usually get in and fall asleep.” She assures us that her studies are going well.

Spotted in Delft

It’s been two weeks since two power nap pods were installed on the lower level of the library. They are available for both students and staff to take a moment to relax. Anneke Sikkema, education policy officer at ESA, explains why they were acquired.

“We’re thinking about how we can create more low-stimulus or rest spaces at TU/e in addition to the silence room in Atlas, and this is another step toward that goal. The desire for this stems from a national consultation on student well-being involving the student unions and umbrella organization Universities of the Netherlands. Back in 2023, the student organizations presented a manifesto on this topic to the Lower House.”

Last year, Sikkema received a proposal for the purchase of the pods from a TU/e student submitted via the bottom-up initiatives student wellbeing. “She had conducted a needs assessment among fellow students. We also think that a power nap can boost concentration and productivity for both students and staff.”

Together with Geraldine Suijkerbuijk from the Library front office and a few students, Sikkema took inspiration from TU Delft, where these pods were already in place. Now, they can be found in the TU/e library as well.

Rules

Lim will definitely be back for another cat nap. Next time, she’ll take her shoes off, as stated on the banner with the rules. “I didn’t know that because I hadn’t read the banner in detail.”

Another rule is that no reservations are required. You can just walk by, and if a pod is available, you can use it for up to 20 minutes. “Because the goal is a power nap,” says Sikkema, “and power naps are effective when they last 15 to 25 minutes. If you sleep for, say, 45 minutes, you’ll wake up feeling worse for wear because you were in the middle of your sleep cycle. Then you’d have to sleep for an hour and a half in order to complete a full sleep cycle, but that’s not the goal of these pods. It’s important to set a timer to prevent you from sleeping too long and waking up groggier.”

Nuisance

It is possible that the pods might be misused, but the library’s front desk staff are not concerned about that. “Nuisance can happen anywhere. We regularly walk by the pods and trust that everything will go well,” says Geraldine Suijkerbuijk. “But if something happens that’s not supposed to happen, we do take action.”

Getting some rest for my work – I’m not going to say no to that! So I crawl into a power nap pod. I set my alarm for twenty minutes and wait. It’s not completely dark and I like that. As usual, I have trouble falling asleep. I hear everyone’s footsteps on the stairs above me. I’m worried that my phone’s alarm ringtone will disturb everyone in the library. It’s Do I Love You? by Bruce Springsteen, and that song starts pretty loud. So... I don’t sleep, but I’m very comfortable. And I’m happy to get up and write this article. / NS