School in China ditches sleeping on desks at nap time for health reasons and lets students set up their own tents to sleep in

Concerned about spinal health and sleep quality for students napping head down on their desks, one school takes a different approach

Teachers say the 150 students who have signed on to the ‘sleep lying down project’ fall asleep faster and have better quality rest

2-MIN READ2-MIN

A Chinese primary school wins praise for letting students set up tents for afternoon naps, teaching them independence and the value of sleep. Photo: Inews

Published: 9:00am, 27 Jun 2022

A primary school in China has been praised for radicalising nap time by allowing students to build tents in which to rest so they get healthier sleep lying flat on the ground.

While most primary school students in China take their noon nap by resting their heads on their desks or use the time to do homework, Xingfuhe Elementary School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, eastern China, does things differently.

The school lets its students sleep for 40 minutes at noon in tents set up in spacious event rooms, the Qianjiang Evening News reported.

Zhou Hong, the school’s headmaster said they started its “sleep lying down project” last year by arranging mats on the floor for students to use during nap time to get better sleep and improve overall health.

The students are responsible for setting up the tents and creating their own rules for inside their space during nap time. Photo: Inews

“Sleeping on desks will leave students feeling numb in their arms and legs, is bad for spinal development, and will affect the quality of their sleep,” she said.