Sleep deprivation is a widespread problem among college students that can result in significant health and safety risks and performance impairment, yet it oftentimes is not treated seriously. At Boston University this is no exception.
According to a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, nearly one quarter of young adults are occasionally or frequently late to school or work due to sleepiness, compared to 11 percent of 30-64 year olds. More than half say that they will sleep less in order to get more done.
With priorities ranging from academics and jobs to socializing and partying, it is difficult for students to make time for the eight or more hours of sleep recommended for optimum health and performance, the study reported.
“Schoolwork, socializing, phone conversations, partying is probably the biggest one,” said Erin Stewart, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “When you’re out you just lose track of how late, or rather how early in the morning, it is.”
Partying can cause significant sleep debt, not only because of the time spent out late but also because of the effects of alcohol consumption on the body.
Professor Jonathon Howland, chairman of social and behavioral sciences, said he has done research on the effects of hangovers on students.
“There’s a couple of ways in which consuming alcohol and sleep deprivation are linked,” he said. “Alcohol is both a depressant and a stimulant. Because it is a sedative, you get sleepy. As it wears off, it has a stimulating effect, which causes you to wake up very early. This can create a significant sleep disturbance.”
The burden of schoolwork is another reason why students will cheat themselves out of a night’s sleep.
“If I have a lot of stuff due in one week then during the weekend I will just pass out,” said Michael Klein, a CAS and School of Management junior. “Or, I just take naps when I get back from class.”
Many students said they used naps as a way of compensating for a night spent out partying or doing last-minute schoolwork.
“I don’t get enough sleep every night but I make up for it with naps,” Stewart said.
Sleep deprivation over time results in a “sleep debt,” when a person’s judgement, reaction time and functioning is affected, according to the Foundation.
“If I don’t get enough sleep for a couple of days consecutively then I find it really hard to stay awake the next day — my body just doesn’t want to move,” Stewart said. “I just can’t think as quickly — I forget things more easily.”
The results of not getting enough sleep can definitely bear an impact on a student’s academic performance as well.
“I do fall asleep in classes occasionally,” Klien admitted, “but I like to blame that on the professors.”
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