With the heavy schedule that most students face today, there is little time left for sleep, especially good sleep. College students should be getting eight to nine hours of sleep per night. However, most students are only getting six, and sometimes they are lucky just to get those six. Far too often, we tell ourselves that it is better to stay up later and get more work done rather than get enough sleep, making ourselves susceptible to the effects of sleep deprivation: daytime drowsiness, moodiness, an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression, poor academic performance, weight gain and an impaired immune system. The list goes on and on. As we enter the second half of this academic semester, UA students will find themselves needing to study more, procrastinating more and sleeping less.
During freshman year, it is especially hard to get the right amount of sleep. Dorm life is not always conducive for the best sleep. Late night chats with roommates, midnight fire alarms, newly found freedoms and the realization that college is indeed harder than high school do not help. In this age of continual connectivity, we cannot go to bed without checking emails, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Research shows that a full night’s sleep is a key influence in making good grades. Furthermore, getting a full night of good sleep puts students in a better mood, providing the energy to make it through the day and stimulate creativity.
At Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts in 2007, the start time for classes was pushed back 30 minutes, and students had to be back in their dorms 30 minutes earlier. The results were fascinating: Students started making better grades, more students ate a hot breakfast and fewer students visited the health center.
Moreover, getting the right kind of sleep is important. Last Thursday, Benedict Carey wrote in the New York Times, “Sleep is learning, of a very specific kind.” He also said that the kind of sleep students get is important as well. He explained that the first half of the night, your deepest sleep, is “retention territory.” So, if you are trying to cram everything in the last minute for a big test, remember to go to bed early enough to retain all of that information.
It often seems that everything is against us when it comes to getting enough rest. Between studying and extracurricular activities, we find little time for sleep. In order to be happy, healthy and academically successful, we must sleep well. There are several simple methods to getting more sleep. Establish a regular sleep pattern and avoid caffeine later in the day. Naps can be good, but don’t nap all afternoon and then stay up all night writing a research paper. Avoiding social media an hour before bed is also a good idea (The bright lights from screens have been proven to negatively affect your body’s melatonin level, an important hormone for sleep). Finally, just don’t procrastinate. Get off Netflix, study, read and go to bed. Your body will thank you for it.
John David Thompson is a sophomore majoring in piano performance. His column runs biweekly.
