Sleep Difficulties
According to the 2006 NCHA (National College Health Assessment), 62% of University of Utah students reported to have suffered from some sort of sleep difficulty. Over half of those students suffered academically as a result. In an attempt to adjust to the grueling demands of college, students often put sleep on the back burner while school, jobs, family, and friends are higher priorities. However, it is interesting to note, that college students are often unaware that the less sleep they get, the lower their GPA tends to be. |
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Voluntary sleep deprivation is a common occurrence for many college students, who often partially deprive themselves of sleep during the week and compensate by increasing their sleep time over the weekend. This pattern of sleep deprivation and rebound becomes more pronounced around examination periods, sometimes resulting in 24 to 48 hours of total sleep deprivation. By depriving themselves of sleep, college students are not only increasing their feelings of sleepiness during the day, thus decreasing their ability to pay attention in class, but are also negatively affecting their ability to perform on exams. In a study by Pilcher and Walters, researchers took a large group of students and divided them into two subgroups. In one of the groups they allowed students to go about their daily routine and then they were allowed to sleep 8 hours. The other group went about their day but they were not allowed to sleep. At the end of the 8 hour period, they had both groups of students take a cognitive test. What researchers found was that the students who didn’t sleep did significantly worse then did the students who received 8 hours of sleep. What’s more is that the sleep deprived students inaccurately rated their performance as better than that of students who were not sleep deprived. In another study by Trockel, Barnes, and Egget, researchers found that over a long period of time, the more sleep deprived a student was, their GPA decreased about 0.115 points. |
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What is sleep?Sleep is the periodic state of unconsciousness during which are perception of the world is altered. Sleep is marked by:
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How much sleep do students need?On average, normal adults need about 8 - 9 hours of sleep each night. However, only about 11% of college students get the recommended amount of sleep. College students generally only get about 6 - 6.9 hours of sleep each night! |
Stages of SleepThere are five stages of sleep: 1-4 and then REM (rapid eye movement). Most people who through all stages about 4-5 times and each cycle of stages is about 90-110 minutes. Stage 1 - This is when your head hits the pillow and for about 10-15 minutes, you drift in and out of consciousness. Stage 2 - Breathing and heart rate slow down, body temperature decreases, and eye movements stop. Stage 3 and 4 - These two stages are referred to as deep sleep. There is no eye movement or muscle activity. People awakened during these stages of sleep are often pretty groggy and disoriented. Children may experience bedwetting, night terrors, or sleep walking in these stages. REM - Breathing becomes more rapid and irregular, eyes jerk rapidly in all directions, and limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed. People dream during this stage. Circadian Rhythm - 24 hour cycle in all living things that are important in determining sleeping and feeding patterns (also referred to as the “body clock”). This rhythm is defined by:
When this rhythm is thrown off by staying up late to study or sleeping in too late, people may experience feelings of sleep deprivation. |
Why do we need sleep?Sleep helps us to restore and rejuvenate in many different ways including: Memory, social and learning processes During sleep, the brain encodes new information to store it properly. The parts of the brain that control emotions, decision making and social interactions slow down dramatically during sleep, allowing optimal performance while awake. This is very vital for college students because if students don’t allow themselves enough sleep, the part of the brain that controls learning is not restored properly and often students find that they can’t recall information they’ve learned as easily. Nervous system - Neurons used during the day repair themselves during sleep. When an individual is sleep deprived nervous impulses often do not travel as quickly as they do with appropriate sleep and the person experiences a slower reaction time. Immune system - Without proper sleep, the immune system becomes weak and the body becomes vulnerable to infection and disease. Growth and Development - Growth hormones are released during sleep, so sleep is vital to proper physical and mental development. This is the reason children and adolescents need more sleep than adults do. |
Am I getting enough sleep?When you don't get enough sleep, the signs and symptoms are pretty obvious. They may include:
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How will sleep deprivation affect me?Coordination, judgment, reaction time, and social functions will likely be harmed by lack of sleep. When you don't get enough sleep, several things can occur:
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Sleep MythsDuring sleep, your brain rests. False: While your body rests, your brain doesn't. An active brain during sleep prepares us for alertness and peak functioning the next day. You cannot learn to function normally with one or two fewer hours of sleep a night than you need. True: Sleep need is biological. Most adults need eight hours of sleep to function at their best. Boredom makes you feel sleepy, even if you have had enough sleep. False: When people are active, they usually don’t feel sleepy. When they take a break from activity, or feel bored, they may notice that they are sleepy. Resting in bed with your eyes closed cannot satisfy your body’s need for sleep. True: Sleep is as necessary to health as food and water, and rest is no substitute for sleep. Snoring is not harmful as long as it doesn’t disturb others or wake you up. False: Snoring may indicate the presence of a life-threatening sleep disorder called sleep apnea. People with sleep apnea snore loudly and arouse repeatedly during the night, gasping for breath. Everyone dreams at night. False: Although many people fail to remember their dreams, dreaming does occur for every person, every night. |
The older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need. False: Sleep needs remain unchanged throughout adulthood. Older people may wake more frequently through the night and may sleep less, but their sleep need is no less than during young adulthood. Most people don’t know when they are sleepy. True: Researchers have asked thousands of people over the years if they’re sleepy, only to be told no…just before the individuals fell asleep! Raising the volume of your radio will help you stay awake while driving. False: The only short term solution is to pull over at a safe place and take a short nap or have a caffeinated drink. However, the only long-term solution is prevention by starting out well rested after a good nights sleep. The human body never adjusts to night shift work. True: All living things have a circadian or about 24-hour rhythm. This affects us when we feel sleepy and alert. Light and dark cycles set these rhythms. Most sleep disorders go away even without treatment. False: Unfortunately, many people who suffer from sleep disorders don’t realize that they have a disorder or that it can be treated. But sleep disorders don’t disappear without treatment. |
Sleep TipsDo not nap during the day. It’s not that naps are bad but if you take a nap for too long, you may feel groggy and my actually have a harder time falling asleep at night because you have rested during the day. If you absolutely need to nap, limit your rest time to 30 minutes. Any longer than that will throw your body clock off. Limit caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine is a stimulant, it speeds everything up and can make it hard to fall asleep. If you can’t live without your Coke in the afternoon, be sure to drink it 5-6 hours before you go to sleep so the caffeine has a chance to get out of your system. As far as alcohol goes, a lot of people have the wrong belief that it will help you sleep better. While alcohol may make you feel sleepy, it will not guarantee you a night of restful sleep. Too much alcohol can interfere with a normal sleep cycle and makes it harder for people to enter the REM stage as effectively when they don’t have as much alcohol in their bodies. REM is necessary because it allows the body to restore information learned in the day and allows for better recall when a person wakes up. Expose yourself to bright light / sunlight soon after awakening. Based upon our circadian rhythm, our bodies know when it is time for us to wake up and when it is time for us to go to sleep based upon light and dark. If you find you have a hard time waking up in the morning, try exposing yourself to bright light so your brain will signal the rest of your body it is time to wake up. Exercise early in the day. Exercise increases blood flow, breathing, temperature and increased levels of these things may make it hard for you to sleep. If you work out, be sure to do it early in the day so your body has a chance to slow down heart rate, cool down body temperature, and slow down your breathing. Make your bedroom primarily a place for sleeping. This can be a hard tip especially for those who live in the dorms! Your body needs to know that the bed is a place for you to sleep and relax. If you do things in your bed that you normally would do while awake such a studying, paying bills, etc, some people find that they have a harder time trying to relax in their beds prior to sleep time. If you absolutely need to study in your room, try doing it on the floor or in a chair instead. Hide your clock. Have you ever stayed up late studying for an exam but then when you try to get some sleep, you keep waking up to look at the clock? Behaviors like this can just create feelings of anxiety and you won’t get the restful night sleep that your body needs to be able to recall the information that you have studied for the test. A great tip for overcoming this habit is to turn the clock away from you so you aren’t tempted to keep getting up and looking at it. If you are worried that you will sleep in past the alarm get two clocks or place your clock on the other side of the room so you have to get up to turn it off. Keep a regular schedule. This tip may also be a hard one for a college student! A college student’s life is pulled in so many directions. Many students take a full class load, hold a full or part time job and have obligations to family and friends. In order to balance all those things, sleep is often a lower priority. Not only does sleep deprivation have an effect on your grades, it will also throw off your body clock and create a sleep debt that you need to make up. The good news is, you can make up for that by sleeping more the next night. The down side is, if you make up for that sleep debt on Friday night but continue to sleep in late on Saturday night and sleep in until noon, your body clock will have been thrown off and you may find that it is difficult to fall asleep. The best advice is to try to keep your sleep schedule regular by going to sleep and waking up at the same time each night-even on weekends!
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Don’t smoke. A lot of smokers report to smoke the most right before bedtime because it calms them down. This is a wrong idea! It’s not the nicotine that slows and calms a person down, it’s the deep drags an individual takes off the end of the cigarette that makes them feel relaxed. Nicotine creates the complete opposite feeling; it speeds everything up! Nicotine speeds up your heart rate and keeps you awake. If you are a smoker, try to smoke at least an hour before going to bed or better yet-try to quit! Keep your bedroom peaceful and comfortable. Make sure your bedroom is conducive to sleep. A comfortable bedroom should be quiet, dark, and comfortable. It should neither be too hot or too cold but cooler temperatures may hasten sleep. Incorporate bedtime rituals. Establish a pattern of activities that you do each night before you go to sleep. Take a warm bath, read a book, meditate. Do whatever you need to do so your body knows it is time for you to wind down and go to sleep. Don’t eat a large, heavy meal before bed. If you eat a large meal before bed, chances are, you may feel too full to relax enough to go to sleep. Also, a large meal may cause indigestion hence delaying the onset of sleep. Bedtime snacks can help. Did your parents ever give you a glass of milk before bed time? If so, your parents weren’t stupid! A chemical called tryptophan found in milk, turkey, peanut butter and bananas creates feelings of sleepiness and may help you to relax before going to bed. Jot down all of your concerns and worries. The night before a test, do you constantly wake up worried that you will forget something? If you do this, a good tip to help you sleep better is to write down anything that is worrying you on a piece of paper and place it next to your bed. That way, you don’t have to keep waking yourself up in the night to remind yourself not to forget anything. Go to sleep when you are sleepy. Even if it is 10 o’clock and you need to go to sleep, if you aren’t sleepy, you’ll experience anxiety and frustration while trying to get some shut eye. If you are restless and can’t stop thinking, get out of bed, read a book, watch TV, take a shower, etc. Avoid over-the-counter sleep aids. You can walk into a drugstore and choose from an array of sleep aids, offered without prescription. The main ingredient of over-the-counter sleeping pills is an antihistamine. Antihistamines are generally taken for allergies, but also make you feel very sleepy. Common over-the-counter sleep medications are Sleep-Eze, Sominex, Nytol, and Unison; they contain antihistamines such as:
In general, over-the-counter sleep medications are not a good choice because they:
Use over-the-counter sleep medications only for transient or short-term insomnia and in conjunction with changes to your sleeping habits. Be sure to pay attention to your body’s physical response to these sleep medications. Immediately discontinue use if you experience any severe adverse effects. Common side effects of over-the-counter sleeping pills:
In addition, you can develop a tolerance for over-the-counter sleep aids after using them for just a few days. You may find quickly that you need a higher dosage to accomplish the same effect. As with any medication, it is advisable to consult with your doctor before taking over-the-counter sleep medications. |
