Studies show stress about school and life keeps 68 percent of college students awake late at night, according to a medical study.
According to medicalnewstoday.com, 1,125 college students were tested and 60 percent had disturbed sleep-wake patterns, in which they used drugs and alcohol to help sleep or stay awake while 30 percent slept at least eight hours a night, which is the average requirement for young adults.
“Students underestimate the importance of sleep in their daily lives,” said study co-author Roxanne Prichard, assistant professor of psychology at the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, Minn, where the study took place, according to the Web site. “They forgo sleep during periods of stress, not realizing that they are sabotaging their physical and mental health.”
Marsha Garber, lecturer of psychology, said sleep is not something can be “banked” in advance.
“If someone falls short, they have to catch up and risk the consequences of the deficit,” Garber said.
She said those who feel they are “night people” are often subject to relationships, environments or substances that encourage nighttime wakefulness.
Sleep impacts focus, memory, energy, mood, weight and coordination, Garber said.
For a good night’s sleep, one must have a good sleep environment, she said.
“Use earplugs, eyeshades and black-out curtains as necessary,” Garber said. “Keep the room cool and have adequate blankets.”
John Taylor, assistant professor of biology, said the real question is, “Why do we sleep in the first place?”
Taylor said the brain needs to reset itself to maintain function because lack of sleep also negatively affects the immune system.
“It affects mood,” Taylor said. “Studies have shown that the brain has difficulty doing basic functions without adequate rest.”
Kristi Rose, a freshman pre-dental major from Morgan, said she always goes to sleep late, staying up until 2 a.m. on average either visiting with friends or doing homework.
Rose said she has pulled a couple all-nighters, and although they have not been often, they leave her in a bad mood.
She said a good night sleep is important so a person can pay attention in class and perform well on tests and assignments.
“I just don’t do this as often as I should,” Rose said.
Taylor said the body eventually experiences a REM cycle (Rapid Eye Movements), a short stage of sleep that comes at the end of a sleep cycle. In this stage, a person dreams and physiologically, they are fairly active.
Oxygen consumption can actually be higher in this stage than times we are awake.
“Studies suggest that the REM stage is very important,” he said. “When we don’t get enough REM, our body will make up for it later.”
College students need to “sleep smart instead of leading a ‘tumble weed’s’ existence,” Taylor said.
“Sleep should be planned out, not just squeezed in whenever we get a sliver of time,” he said. “As any parent can attest, kids are happier when they get enough sleep.”
Alison Jensen, a sophomore family life and human development major from Spanish Fork, said she goes to bed at 10:30 or 11 p.m. every night.
“I don’t know how people function on no sleep,” she said. “I’ve tried. I just can’t do it.”
knew when she’d make it to bed.Jensen said her sleep schedule was crazy at the start of school because Jensen never
“Now that I started going to bed around the same time every night, I wake up easier and I’m more alert and ready to face the day,” she said.
Jensen said she thinks students stay up late so homework gets done and social lives extend late into the night.
“I think they are very prone to sleep deprivation just because of the crazy schedules, but not more than anyone else with fully packed days,” she said.
Mary Jo Tufte, instructor of biology, said study skills are a big deal to her and adequate sleep, combined with good study skills, is vital for student success.
She said staying up all night is the worst way to study and the worst thing someone can do to their body to prepare for a test.
“The number one thing I say (to my students) is that students must learn to study a little bit everyday,” Tufte said. “Studying is using the brain and using energy.”
She said with the way the human brain is built it can only pay attention for about three minutes at a time maximum.
“After that, it takes a little break to recharge itself; even if you try to keep it on task and pay attention,” Tufte said. “If a student tries to cram, it’s a completely inefficient way of using your brain and it wastes energy trying to force that organ to study all night when it should be recharging itself.”
Tufte mentioned things for students to understand about what their brain needs so they can have a healthy college life with proper sleep and study habits, including:
The brain needs a constant supply of energy.
“When studying, you use a tremendous amount of body energy to power the thought process,” she said. “This is why students often get hungry and tired.
When studying, actually study, Tufte said.
She said worriers need to set aside five minutes at the beginning of each study session to worry, complain, and acknowledge the dislike of the professor or whatever might be the problem.
“But when that five minutes is up, put all of that negativity away and switch gears,” she said. “Devote all of your brain energy toward studying.”
The brain is an organ that needs to be worked out and trained on a daily basis, the same way your muscles are organs need to be worked out, she said.
Tufte said an athlete would never cram training in before an event, but rather train everyday at different levels of workouts. She said the brain needs the same thing when studying for an exam.
“You need to train it everyday by studying everyday and the night before your exam, review the material, ‘polish up’ any details you need to fix, and then have a healthy, stress free evening and morning,” she said.
Tufte said if the body is not in good shape when going to the exam, the same way an athlete’s body needs to be to perform, the student’s best effort on the exam will be lacking.
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