Sleep Deprivation VS Academics
Sleep Deprivation vs Academics
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Lack of sleep is a big issue amongst college students and it is rapidly affecting their academics and health.
Ryan Macheska
Q News
Sleep is one of the most important aspects in our lives. We sleep to reset our bodies, and prepare for the next day. It is a much needed break from technology, school, and the outside world, and gives you time to rest and relax.
Young kids and adults are great at getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, but college students are quite the opposite. Between homework, social lives, and parties students tend to not get enough, which leads them to not perform their best in school, and fall asleep during lectures.
Sleep Deprivation By The Numbers
Sleep Deprivation is defined as not getting enough sleep to support an adequate amount of alertness. In a study conducted by the American College Health Association, 60% of students said that at least three days a week they deal with daytime sleepiness and have a hard time staying awake during class.
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| A study from Penn State University shows the correlation of the amount of sleep a student gets and GPA. |
82% of students say that their sleep is the cause of their struggles in school, and they rank sleep problems as the second biggest reason why they do not get good grades.
Coffee and Energy Drinks
Some students who suffer from daytime sleepiness use coffee and energy drinks to keep themselves awake during the day. Although it is good for the moment, because students stay awake during class, these drinks have negative side effects.
These caffeinated beverages are doing damage to student’s bodies as they try to keep themselves awake during class time. These drinks also counteract what students are trying to fix, their sleep.
Blake Hunsinger, a junior at Indiana University, claimed that some energy drinks make him jittery, “I specifically do not drink Reign and Red Bull, because when I tried them they made me shake to where I could not focus on my work.” He also stated while these drinks help him stay up late to do work, they give him a hard time to fall asleep when he needed to.
The cause of insomnia is one of the main downsides of energy drinks and coffee. Students use these beverages to keep themselves awake during the day, however it is keeping them awake throughout the night and not letting them get a sufficient amount of sleep.
A Doctor's Perspective
Doctors are not huge fans of anyone drinking energy drinks and coffee. The issue with energy drinks is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has little control of these products. Many of the ingredients in these drinks have not been tested and the labels could be filled with plenty of lies as there are no laws on the product labels.
Doctors worry that people, especially students, will drink them not knowing the underlying health issues that come with these drinks. Along with the health concerns I previously mentioned, seizures, diabetes, and dental issues are all problems common energy drink consumers face.
Dr. Joyce Mattaliano, a doctor from New Jersey, explained that these drink hurt more than they help, "We strongly advise patients to stay away from energy drinks. It gives you a small burst of energy but other than that, the long lasting symptoms are not worth the extra hour of productivity," said Mattaliano, "Lack of sleep is a very big issue among college aged students, but in the end it prevents you from getting sleep, and can take years off your life."
Sleeping Remedies
While getting to sleep is tough, there are plenty of ways to be able to get to bed at a reasonable hour. First and foremost, do not cram all your homework in one night. Staying up doing work is what burns students out the most. Do school work over a set period of time, and make sure you get it done.
Another way to help get to sleep is the use of melatonin supplements. Melatonin is a hormone that helps people go to sleep. These supplements increases the release of melatonin in the brain and makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Eric Smith, a junior at High Point University, who often uses melatonin to go sleep said, " It is great for the nights I can't go to bed. It really helps me fall asleep on those nights I just can't seem to get tired." Eric has been using melatonin Supplements for over a year now, and said he wishes he started sooner.
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