After a long study session this midterm season, would you want to be able to take a nap on campus? Students can do that in nap pods at The Well.

The pods were introduced as a way to help students’ who have trouble sleeping by offering them a place to take short naps during their day on campus, according to Brooke Rustad Dinkel, Recreation & Wellness spokesperson. 

The nap pods were placed in what is now the “ReCharge Room.” It’s a much a bigger room than the previous site at the Fit. There are a few rocking chairs with neck and shoulder massages and a space for coloring.

There are also two smaller rooms that used to be unoccupied offices, where the nap pods can be found.

The nap pods were previously in the Fit but were moved last fall. Students didn’t use it often at the previous location because of how close it was to student housing at the Village, Dinkel said.

Olivia Brennan, director of the Office of Student Life & Engagement, said the nap pods were offered to The Well and the Shimberg Health Sciences Library. 

The offer was quickly accepted because of USF Health students’ demand for a space for wellness. 

The Office of Student Life & Engagement conducted surveys and focus groups with students at USF Health. One of the recurring requests was a space for wellness, Brennan said.

“We didn’t necessarily have a place for relaxation,” Brennan said. “So we had a space that we identified and we turned it into our ReCharge room.”

Brennan said the nap pods were relocated to the empty offices because they allow students to close the door and turn off the light instead of having them in a big open space like the ones in the Shimberg Library.

Most students who use the nap pods attend one of the USF Health colleges, according to Brennan.

Those are students whose classes go from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. with a short lunch break in between, who often stay on campus after classes to study or do clinical rotations, Brennan said. 

Despite being open and available for use to all USF students, The Well’s location on campus makes it more accessible and promoted to USF Health students who might be around the area to use the nap pods. 

Brennan said there is a plan to expand the size of the ReCharge Room. This would be part of a larger renovation of The Well to incorporate spaces that are still “unbuilt” in the building. 

The renovation project is set to happen over the next three years depending on whether or not there is enough funding.