Sleep: just what the doctor ordered

    Apart from doing it in class, sleeping is good for you.  Sadly, many college students attach a stigma to getting a good night’s rest.
    “When you’re in college, everyone says you have to ‘live it up,’” Michael Hague said.  Hague, a junior environmental science major, makes it his daily goal to retire by midnight.  “Staying up late and being involved with everything that’s going on is what most college students live for,” Hague said.  “They’d rather give up sleep than miss out.”
    “Resting,” a term often used by college students as an excuse to sit back and watch television, does not produce the effect it implies.  True rest occurs in deep sleep; deep sleep is the sleep that occurs in the wee hours of the night.  To receive this healthy effect, students must allow themselves the opportunity to rest the right way – by getting enough sleep.
    Numerous studies show adequate sleep is essential to proper brain function – the same brain functions that help you remain focused (and awake) in class.  Any amount of sleep deprivation can easily diminish mental performance.  Daily drowsiness is a sure sign that you are not getting enough sleep.  Nodding off in class, getting tired while reading, and zoning out during casual conversation are physical warnings intimating how drowsy a normal student is.
    Katelyn Irwin, a junior community health major, has experienced the negative side effects of not enough sleep.
    “On nights when I have not gotten much sleep, I find it hard to motivate myself to go to class,” Irwin said.  “I’ll zone out, big time.”
    In 2004, Harvard University conducted an extensive review of nearly every piece of existing information concerning sleep, dreams, learning, and memory.  The results suggested that getting enough sleep enhances learning, decision-making, and memory functions.  That said, most experts agree the average sleep requirement for college students is eight hours.  As students continue to go without the right amount of sleep, their bodies may even feel a toll.
    “I can be pretty irritable, and definitely don’t do very well academically,” Eric Bauman said.  Bauman, a senior, feels this way any time he gets less than five hours of sleep.
    As a member of GCSU’s Cross Country team, Hague knows how important sleep is before a tough training session.
    “I can definitely tell during my runs when I don’t get enough sleep,” Hague said. “I feel groggy and my legs don’t recover as well.  I need about eight hours of sleep to perform to my potential.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 6 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry