Sleep and The College Student

Just last week, the National Sleep Foundation observed National Sleep Awareness Week. As daylight savings time shifts our clocks and our sleeping patterns, everyone has lost a little sleep, and college students may be especially vulnerable.

While the average person needs between 8 and 9 hours of sleep, college students instead get an average of 6.5 hours a night according to one survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.

The problem isn’t restricted to students either. Another NSF survey conducted in 2005 found that more than 30% of drivers have not only driven while drowsy, they have fallen asleep at the wheel.

A study published in August 2008 in the Public Library of Science by Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi suggests that sleep plays important functions in consolidating new memories, discarding unimportant information, and allowing the brain to prepare for future demands. “Sleep may be the price you pay so your brain can be plastic the next day,” say Cirelli and Tononi.

Several studies have linked lack of sleep to difficulties in recalling information, performing complex tasks, and increased difficulty in learning while sleep deprived.

“Getting enough sleep everyday is as important to your health as eating healthy and being physically active. Physicians should regularly ask all patients about sleep, diet, and physical activity habits.” says Woodie Kessel, MD, MPH, Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (ret.) who was a member of the 2009 Sleep in America poll taskforce. “Sleep is as vital as eating right and exercising to our health.”

The techniques for improving sleep are simple, but effective.

• Only use the bedroom for sleep, not for school work! The more activities you bring into bed, the more difficult it is to simply sleep.
• Go to bed at the same time each night, and wake at the same time each morning. This includes weekends and days off. One day of sleeping in can throw off your sleep patterns for days.
• Avoid exercising within three hours of going to bed. Exercise causes a release of several hormones that promote energy and mood, but the energizing qualities of these hormones will keep you up longer than you would normally be.
• Try exercising shortly after waking to utilize those hormones in the morning.