Spring Break
Becoming functioning members of society
Sarah Paeth
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Forum
It's 8 a.m. and you're sitting in the far corner of the lecture hall, trying desperately to pay attention to what the professor is lecturing about. Your eyes succumb to the fluorescent glow of the overhead lights and your eyelids droop ever so slightly. Your elbow slips off of the desk and your notebook lays abandoned in your backpack. What once was an interesting lecture now turns into a hum, and you promise yourself that you'll close your eyes just for one short minute...
Sound familiar? Welcome to college.
According to Medical News Today, only 30 percent of college students obtain the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. Alcohol and caffeine overconsumption, the overuse of electronic devices and stress all contribute to sleep deprivation. The cards are stacked against us; if you're a college student you're doomed to at least a few weeks of bleary-eyed, yawn-filled moments.
With midterms well under way and finals on the horizon, students are falling back on the tried and true routines of test-taking preparation - pulling all-nighters, celebrating a little too much on Friday night and then sleeping in too late on the weekend.
Not getting enough sleep causes more than the occasional yawn. Poor sleeping habits contribute to weight gain, a weakened immune system and an increased risk for several forms of cancer.
Indeed, studies show that students better retain and organize information, convert short term memory into long term memory better and have improved mental function after a good night's sleep. Sleep isn't just a means for survival, but is necessary in attaining a college education.
Though most of us know that we should be sleeping seven to nine hours a night and restricting our caffeine, college is college. If we have a final that accounts for 90 percent of our grade in the morning, we'll probably sacrifice a good night's sleep in order to cram for the test. We can strive to achieve better sleeping habits, but in the end, we'll do what is necessary to achieve our goals even if it means losing sleep over it.
Sound familiar? Welcome to college.
According to Medical News Today, only 30 percent of college students obtain the recommended eight hours of sleep per night. Alcohol and caffeine overconsumption, the overuse of electronic devices and stress all contribute to sleep deprivation. The cards are stacked against us; if you're a college student you're doomed to at least a few weeks of bleary-eyed, yawn-filled moments.
With midterms well under way and finals on the horizon, students are falling back on the tried and true routines of test-taking preparation - pulling all-nighters, celebrating a little too much on Friday night and then sleeping in too late on the weekend.
Not getting enough sleep causes more than the occasional yawn. Poor sleeping habits contribute to weight gain, a weakened immune system and an increased risk for several forms of cancer.
Indeed, studies show that students better retain and organize information, convert short term memory into long term memory better and have improved mental function after a good night's sleep. Sleep isn't just a means for survival, but is necessary in attaining a college education.
Though most of us know that we should be sleeping seven to nine hours a night and restricting our caffeine, college is college. If we have a final that accounts for 90 percent of our grade in the morning, we'll probably sacrifice a good night's sleep in order to cram for the test. We can strive to achieve better sleeping habits, but in the end, we'll do what is necessary to achieve our goals even if it means losing sleep over it.
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