Fancy a snooze? Edinburgh University students back £10k 'nap pods' on campus

Students at Edinburgh University have voted in favour of installing "nap pods" in an effort to beat sleep deprivation.

The pods, which cost up to £10,000, each provide a specially designed aircraft-style bed and users can "screen out" surrounding sound by playing relaxing music through a large-scale helmet and rotating visor.

A student-led think-tank in Edinburgh concluded that the devices would boost satisfaction levels at the university and 84% of students backed the proposal.

The think-tank's research director, Priyanka Radhakrishnan, told Sky News: "The idea behind it is that sleep deprivation is one of the main causes of mental health problems.

"This is an initiative to tackle that problem, promoting the idea of napping and having students take around 40-minute breaks throughout the day to make sure their mental and physical wellbeing is on top point."

"Nap pods" are used in some American universities and by Google in London. But there is disagreement over their effectiveness.

Second year Edinburgh University student Verity Brown told Sky News she opposed the installation of the pods due to their appearance and cost.

She said: "They look like… very claustrophobic coffins, cost £10,000 and the university wants four of them.

"The student to pod ratio being 28,000 to four, it doesn't make any sense to me.

"Most people are not going to be able to go in one in their student life, they are going to be in very high demand."

The first UK student "nap pod" was introduced by Manchester University in 2014.

Librarian Mark Fossey said that since installation it has been well-used.

He said: "The pod enables people to take time out, refresh and go back to their studies.

"It is really relaxing. As soon as you shut the lid and the music surrounds you it's easy to just drift off… it's the sense of immersion and the soothing lighting.

"It helps to block out everything else... you feel weightless."

However, one student in the library said: "If you want a sleep you should go home and get a proper sleep.

"The maximum amount of time you can spend in the pod is 20 minutes, it's not enough."