A 30-minute lunch break is way too short. As students, we need to have enough time during our lunch break to eat our lunch, hang out with friends, catch up on schoolwork, or even nap.

My lunch period started at 12:30 p.m. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep in my third-period class. At 12:55 p.m., the booming alarm on my phone sounded. I had no time to eat my lunch in 5 minutes in time for class.

The very next day, I made sure I was able to get in my lunch. I was out in the courtyard with my friends, gobbled down my lunch, and by the time the bell rang, I was safely into my third-period class. However, I had to stay up late trying to finish my homework, so once again, I found myself drifting into sleep while class was in session.

This is a war that I cannot win.

Even just an extra 10-15 minutes can make a huge difference in productivity in the classroom. Class time may be cut down by just a few minutes, but that time may be substituted by improved efficiency in the classroom.

According to Fast Company, the world’s leading progressive business brand,  our bodies have a natural dip in energy toward the afternoon during the average week. We will have more room in our working memory for new information after our nap, since sleeping helps to clear out that holding area of any information picked up during the day.

If I take my nap, I feel more refreshed, but my grumbling stomach makes me antsy throughout the rest of the school day until the sound of the bell at the end of the day. If I do not take my nap but eat my lunch, I may be prone to sleep in class. The best solution I can think of is extra time for my lunch.

On the contrary, other students may just need that extra time to get outside. Unlike my elementary school days, high school offers no recess period, so this short lunch period offers very little relaxation time.

According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, an organization dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and excellence, when a group received a significant amount of exercise per week and so less instructional time, as compared to peers, academic performance maintained and the group showed improved social skills as well.

Even in sporting events where there are grueling conditions, these athletes receive breaks. Personally, I am thrilled whenever I get a chance to take a break during my tennis match to regather my thoughts and move on to the next game.

While there may be breaks walking from one class to another, class may be so far away that people may not be able to take a breather. Instead, they are gasping for breath as they hurry into their next class just before the bell rings.

Someday, I will hopefully be able to wake up from my nap feeling refreshed with a full belly, ready to take on the second half of the school day.