Avoid sleep deprivation |
Brooke Heitz |
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Sleepless nights and long days are something most college students know too well. Common college activities such as last-minute studying or surfing the Web may keep many students up. On average, 18- to 29-year-olds get about six hours and 48 minutes of sleep per night, according to a recent poll done by the National Sleep Foundation. According to the Web site at www.sleepfoundation.org, this age group is more likely to stay up later and get up earlier to get work done. According to the NSF, nearly 55 percent of adults wake up "unrefreshed." Professor Kenneth Kleinman of the psychology department said young adults need on average about 10 hours of sleep per night to avoid sleep deprivation. "I would say that a person is sleep deprived if wakefulness is interfered by one or more of the following: feelings of tiredness, inability to concentrate (especially on repetitive, tedious tasks like driving), falling asleep in class (even during interesting classes) or desires to sleep during the day that are very intense," Kleinman said. Some students may seem to push their limits when it comes to sleep. Distractions, such as parties, club activities, sports, movies, even peer pressure, may provide easy escapes for students to avoid doing their homework. Pressures are put on many students to finish the paper or get that A on a test. They put in long nights to get the paper done, only to face sleepy days, either in class or on the job. Kleinman said it is possible that "bad time-management skills, peer pressure and work and family pressures, and ignorance of the effects of sleep deprivation" are some possible reasons students feel they are invincible when it comes to getting rest. Kleinman also said if students have any of the symptoms listed above, it is most likely that they are suffering from this common disorder. "Try to go to sleep at the same time every night, have the same pre-bed ritual, avoid stimulation of any kind before bed," such as caffeine or alcohol, Kleinman said. "If you're not asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed and read or watch television in another room for 30 minutes or so before trying to get to sleep again, and try to drink milk or eat a banana one hour before bed because this increases your serotonin level. "Also avoid alcohol and other sedative drugs," Kleinman added, "because, though they may help you get to sleep, they will interfere with sleep patterns and you will not awaken refreshed. Also, many are addictive and you have to take more and more to maintain their effect." The bottom line is each individual is different. Some may need 10 hours of sleep, while others only need seven. "It's really an individual thing," Kleinman said. | |