Sleep Deprivation among College Students

For many college students sleep is considered a waste of time.

A recent poll shows college students feel there are lot more productive ways to spend their time.
But is there?

Sleep therapist Ryan Forte says most people; especially college students are unaware of all the effects of sleep deprivation.

(Forte says there are many effects associated with sleep deprivation, both short and long term. Some short term effects are irritability, exhaustion, grogginess, and lack of concentration. Long term effects include seizures, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and weight gain.

Forte also says if a person is not getting enough sleep and is smoking or using cocaine or on adderall or other illegal substances that it can lead to even more serious long term effects.)
So how many hours of sleep do young people get a night?

Several C-SUN students polled answered less than the recommended eight.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that the average college student receives six point eight hours of sleep a night.

That is one point three hours less than students in the 1960’s were getting.

The report also shows 15 percent of college students only sleep four hours a night—and six percent of all college students suffer from some type of sleep disorder.

The most common being insomnia.

C-SUN student Chester Inong says he doesn’t get the recommended amount of sleep because he just does not have the time.

(Inong says students have to balance out class work and class time and it really takes up a huge part of one’s schedule.)

C-SUN student body Vice President Nicole Umali says she prefers using her time towards being productive.

(Umali says she is a very busy person and her days are full, so anytime she has she wants it to be spent on doing stuff, I’d rather do that than sleep.)

But, is staying awake trying to be productive actually leading to poor performance?

The National Sleep Foundation reports the biggest reasons why students do not sleep is because of work, class, athletics, social activities, family and studying.

More than 70 percent of college students say they believe “cramming”—staying up all night to study-- before taking a test helps them score higher on their exams.

A belief that one expert is questioning.

Sleep Deprivation researcher at Henry Mayo Hospital Cynthia Thames says that people will immediately feel negative effects of sleep deprivation after one night of less than four hours of sleep.

(Thames says people will not be able to concentrate as well, not going to be as alert; they are more prone to making mistakes due to a lack of focus. Thames also says there memory is not going to be as sharp.)

Thames says “cramming” lowers the chances for academic success.

Experts agree getting a full nights rest after studying the material is the best chance to earn an “A”—even saying cramming many times has a negative effect on academic performance.

And, new research is showing the lack of sleep does not affect everyone the same.

Students involved in student government, fraternities, and athletics have double the likelihood of being sleep deprived.

However, what are some of the rewards for people that do get a full nights rest?

A Stanford University report examined the effects of sleep among college athletes.

They found that athletes that sleep eight or more hours a night will improve their reaction time, focus, and ultimately their performance.

Other studies show everyone benefits from catching “z’s”.

Sleep therapist Trevor Rhodes offers some suggestions for improving the quality of sleep.

(Rhodes says the best thing to do as far as exercise goes is to exercise during the day.

Exercising in the day will help you sleep easier at night and achieve REM sleep.

Also try to avoid food and drinks that contain caffeine prior to bedtime.

Also keep TV’s and computers out of the bedroom or at least keep them off. Try to maintain the same bedtime routine. Lastly, keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool that will definitely help you get better sleep as well.)

Other recommended tips are to nap for no more than 30 minutes and avoid using sleeping pills.

In the past 50 years new research and data is being discovered about sleeping and its effects on the body.

Director of Sleep and Neuro-Imaging Lab at U-C Berkeley Matthew Walker says new data is forcing society to have more appreciation for the role that sleep plays.

Especially in regards to mental health and psychiatric diseases.

Walker also says that more research is expected to occur on these issues in the future.

Experts say two of the biggest signs of sleep deprivation is having consistency in trying to fall asleep and staying asleep.


Who knew that hitting the snooze button to get the extra ten minutes of sleep is actually a good thing.