Experts warn that not getting enough sleep is dangerous, but by the looks of things, many Boston University students are not concerned.
Only five students attended a new workshop Tuesday entitled ‘Got Sleep? Avoiding the All-Nighter,’ organized by the BU Educational Resource Center in an effort to give students tips for getting a more restful sleep.
Nevertheless, the importance of sleep should not be underestimated, ERC assistant director Virginia Schaffer, who led the workshop, said.
‘College students are the most sleep-deprived age group in the country,’ Schaffer, the assistant director of the ERC, said. ‘When you come to college, the classes are very different. Your sleep patterns can get very off-kilter.’
Not getting enough sleep at night causes many issues, including exhaustion during the day and health problems, she said.
Overly tired students are also loading up on caffeine to get them through their days, which only augments these health problems, Shaffer said. Misuse of caffeine can cause nervousness, irritability and sleep disorders.
During the workshop, Schaffer had students filled out two charts, one to show their current sleeping patterns and the second to show their desired sleeping patterns, using different colored markers. A third color was used to indicate times when the student was in bed but not actually asleep.
The charts showed that the students stayed up late at night, some until 2 or 3 a.m., and slept in until different times in the morning depending on their class schedule.
To adjust sleeping patterns to earlier times, Schaffer suggested a ‘sleep detox’ in which students would go to bed progressively earlier each night and wake up progressively earlier each morning.
Schaffer said it is important to regulate sleeping patterns and keep them consistent.
‘If you are able to function with your current sleep schedule, then kudos to you,’ Schaffer said. ‘If not, that’s when incremental changes need to happen.’
Some students said they had problems falling and staying asleep. Schaffer said cooler, darker rooms are best sleeping environments, and stopping all productive activity at least 20 minutes before going to bed aids with falling asleep faster.
Other students said living in a dormitory with a roommate has had a negative effect on their sleep.
‘It’s harder to get up in the morning with someone there not making an effort,’ College of General Studies freshman Sebastian Filgueira-Gomez said of his roommate, who sometimes sleeps through his alarm.
Schaffer said students can either politely let their roommates know they are concerned that they are not waking up for classes, or tell them to shut off the alarm because it is disruptive.
Still, some students said they find staying up late productive.
‘I’d rather get stuff done late at night instead of waking up early to finish it,’ College of Arts and Sciences freshman Praise Hong said.
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