A woman dozes on a subway while letting her head hang in a scarf tied to a handrail. [Photo/cqnews.net]

A woman was so tired that she dozed on a subway while letting her head hang in a scarf tied to a handrail, a local newspaper in Southwest China's Chongqing reported.

The woman named Yang, said the idea was inspired by her mother who used a similar technique to relieve pressure on the spine. Yang said she had spent the day at a wedding and felt exhausted during her ride on Subway Line 6 in Chongqing.

Yang added that she found it hard to maintain a comfortable position to sleep on subway trains. She is calling for operators to try make seats more comfortable for passengers wishing to nap while they travel.

A picture showing her sleeping has gone viral on social networking sites. A survey on Weibo found more than 53 percent of respondents praised the woman's "creative" sleeping position, though others said they were worried about her safety.

A staff member from the Chongqing subway said the weird way of sleeping was dangerous and could hurt her neck in the case of the emergency brake being applied.

In an old Chinese story, it is said that a young learner tied one end of a rope to their hair and the other to a beam on the roof in order to stay awake at night and study. The story is often quoted to encourage more dedicated practice.