Macqnap's Vlog Adventure

We here at Macqnap wanted to do more than just write about the best places around Macquarie University to nap, so the team went out and actually hunted them down. We have a vlog just to prove it!

We found different and unique places such as silver benches, dusty couches, hard chairs, soft bean bags and good old nature. The vlog takes you around campus in high definition AND a time lapse: It's always a lot more interesting to see the world in fast forward.

As a team we had lots of fun sharing our experiences and knowledge about anything and everything that has to do with some much needed napping time.

Thanks to all our readers for tuning in and keeping up to date with Macqnap's posts!


Come check out our vlog here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbkbJ3hpYG0

Signing out,
This is Macqnap!






Writer: Lousie Le

NapSpot: The Library

The Library

For when you're studying, working hard but all you want to do is nap your trouble away. The library is the place to be! It is so quiet you will sleep like a little baby without any cares. Just don't snore too loud and wake the other nappers. Try to limit the space you take up though as the library can get pretty full during peak times and your fellow students probably wont appreciate someone taking up valuable study space to take a nap. Those little orange circles of goodness are ideal napping spaces because of the comfort! Have fun napping!

Writer -
Katherine McArthur

NapSpot: Muse

Muse

ahhhh muse. Everyone's favourite study/chill out zone/ eating hub (other than the actual hub). It is also a prime napping environment with plenty of hidden areas and closed off sections for you to rest your tired head. This area has the added benefit of super comfy beanbags and cushiony chairs and sometimes even soundproof rooms! Just remember, try not to take up too much room from the actual hard working students who are there to study. Its an easy way to make enemies... 

Go to the coloured section for the comfiest seats! Those little orange pods are highly recommended.


Writer -
Katherine McArthur

MacqNap Spots - Napping during lectures?

MacqNap Spots - Sleeping in lectures?

Have you ever fallen asleep in your lecture? Well I probably have many numerous times. Although my argument for this is if you aren't learning anything in your lectures, may as well spend the time wisely towards your health. Although of course come back and watch your lectures online when you aren't so tired so you dont get left behind. Either way if you do fall asleep in your lectures, well...At least you turned up.

Hey Alex here with another blog about sleeping. In this blog I'll be talking about sleeping in your lectures. Lets face it, we have done it - Or thought about it- mostly because of lectures being boring or simply not learning anything therefore putting your energy to better use. But fear not, sleeping in lectures may well be one of the best places to sleep in the University, at least according to my experience.

There really isn't much to say to or when you wish to sleep in a lecture. Which is why its one of the best places to nap really. All you might need to do is secure your bag, or if you have friends that want to learn you can get them to look after your things. Although one thing you would need to remember is to sleep properly. This refers back to my other blog about sleeping properly (with reference to sleeping posture in particular). My recommendation would be to get comfortable and make sure your head is not hanging downwards as you will be putting stress on your neck and after pro longed periods of time, this can cause some pain and discomfort. Therefore I recommend you cross your arms and if you can, on the little tables each seat has, nicely rest your arms in a crossed form with your head over them .

Lectures truly are in my opinion one of the best places to sleep while at Uni. Although the downfalls may be in the lecturer joking about you, or even waking you up to make fun of you. But if the lecturer does choose to let you sleep, you may have two to four hours of sleep to catch up on.

Writer:
Aleksandar Bjelosevic
aleksandar.bjelosevic@students.mq.edu.au 

Image : http://au.reachout.com/-/media/images/articles/man-sleeping-in-lecture.jpg?mw=2
80&hash=2B07949E844A0FAEC0E49E5E1B5129D74BB3DDCD

NapSpot: Macquarie Theatre Wall-Holes

Location: Macquarie Theatre W2.4A - First floor, right next to lecture hall entrance

Now that we're back to uni with the end of the holidays, that means that we're back to napping at uni and taking advantage of all the cosy spaces. In my first week back at uni, I discovered this not-so-hidden beauty when waiting for my tutorial to start upstairs. 

Immediately, there are some great pluses to napping here, the padding is surprisingly comfortable and there is plenty of room to stretch out your legs. The vibrant red colour is very eye-catching and the whole little 'cubicle' is aesthetically pleasing, new and modern. It feels like you're napping in style. Also, if you lie across it completely, you achieve the illusion of privacy as you face a wall and are cradled by three wall surfaces. When there are no classes, this corridor is usually very empty. The opposing side of the corridor has large glass windows looking out into the beautiful greenery also welcome in a large amount of sunshine, perfect for a spring nap. Sure there are many people passing the windows outside but people rarely look into them so your privacy is somewhat secured.

Unfortunately, a lot of downsides arise from napping here. First of all, the large opposing glass windows are great, but they let in so much light so you don't get any of that 'nap mood lighting'. Also, the red looks great and all but if you know your nap colours, and I sure do, blue is ideal to evoke a sleepy mood. Red, not so much. Of course the biggest problem I have with this spot is the fact that there aren't any power points nearby so you're not gonna want to spend much time here if your phone is on low battery. But the biggest problem by far is the fact that it is immediately next to the main entrance to the biggest and newest lecture hall in Macquarie uni. I'm sure you're not going to want to wake up to hundreds of people standing beside you as you nap away and they await their lecture. Kind of awkward. 

I think this spot is great for relaxing, it's comfy, looks good and very cosy with a great illusion of privacy. However, it's not the kind of spot where you want to let your guard down and fall asleep because you could wake up to a semi-awkward situation.

I give it a total of 3 out of 5 stars.

Writer:
Julia Gapon
julia.gapon@students.mq.edu.auhttps://twitter.com/MacqNap

Stress-free sleeping

Stress-free sleeping Tips for better sleeping!

Have you ever tried sleeping the night before some major exams or the day before some sort of confrontation with an incoming conflict? Do you remember  how long it took you to get to sleep, tossing and turning, only to get a few hours of sleep riddled with nightmares of the incoming event. This can all be linked to stress, anxiety and excitement to some extent.

Stress acts similarly to your body telling you that something is wrong although most of the things it tells you are wrong is only because you make it out to be something far worse than it really is in your mind. This can also be attributed to the environment and people you surround yourself with telling you that certain things are wrong or bad, things such as failing an exam. And this can lead to nightmares.

There are a few methods you could use to deal with stress before sleep, or in some sense to De-stress yourself.

* One thing I noticed through life experience was to avoid horror movies and angry things (such as loud, heavy metal) than my solution is to spend 1-2 hours before sleep without these things. This period will be the wind down period.

* The wind down period is to as the name suggests wind down. To calm yourself, to release the stress and stop thinking about that which scares you or in another sense stimulates your mind to a great extent.

* I suggest drinking some tea and listening to some soft music (I tend to listen to Jazz, orchestral and in some cases Church Chants) to wind down or calm down). Another thing I would suggest is watching animal video (I like cat and dog videos personally) that are great for winding down as they are very happy videos and animals are so cute.

* If you are religious, You could practice praying or whatever your religion preaches which could calm you down spiritually and mentally.

* A great tip would be to take deep breaths before sleep. This means inhaling air until your stomach goes out ass much as it can and until you have more than enough air. Then simply exhale and repeat it five times. This is also a great tip for stressful situations in general such as speeches. Taking five deep breaths before the action or event will go a long way to calm you down.

* Taking a shower is a great way to calm down after and before events. This also includes when you are feeling stressed or afraid. This not only relaxes your muscles but increases your internal or body temperature which makes sleeping much easier and is one of the reasons people generally feel calmer after a shower.

* My last recommendation with winding down or de-stressing is to exercise. Exercising uses a lot of energy and is a great way to remove or waste your anger in some sense. This is seen best in releasing your anger on a punching bag or spending energy running around your nearby area.

These tips help me on a daily basis to get a good nights sleep and de-stress on a general basis. If you are having problems sleeping, I suggest you give these a shot!

Writer:
Aleksandar Bjelosevic
aleksandar.bjelosevic@students.mq.edu.au Image:
http://askdrernst.com/wp-content/uploads/Sleep.jpg
https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half/public/blogs/46501/2011/05/65205-55645.jpg?itok=AuOEmFhc