Virtually every college student can agree on one thing— we are constantly tired. What time did you go to bed last night? I am guessing not before 2 a.m. From those late nights in the library to the wild and crazy nights spent out, we are the sleep-deprived members of society, walking around in a trance, like zombies on "The Walking Dead." Aside from just being tired, scientists have discovered that a lack of sleep could have more severe consequences. Personally, I have been that kid that falls asleep in the library. Yes, last semester, as I was studying for my major Political Science exam, I “dozed off” and woke up eight hours later on the floor of D.H. Hill library, room 567.
Before one can understand the effects of a lack of sleep, one must understand the facts. The average young adult needs eight hours of sleep a night. Honestly, when was the last time you got eight full hours of sleep? I can’t remember for myself. Seventy-one percent of nationwide college students reported not getting that on a regular basis. The amount of sleep a student gets can also depend a lot on the school. In a recent survey, students at a school in the Midwest reported an average of 5.6 hours of sleep a night. Here at NC State, the average student pulls three all-nighters a month—an all-nighter is defined as not sleeping for more than 24 hours. Assuming you attend a more rigorous college, like NC State, your sleep is probably on the low end. Fifty percent of college students report falling asleep during the day, almost double the rate of normal adults. Falling asleep during the day has as much to do with your environment as it does your sleep schedule. For example, if you are sitting in a class where the teacher is actively engaging you, such as in a group activity, you are less likely to fall asleep. If you are sitting in a lecture hall filled with 300 students and a monotone speaker, you are more likely to doze off.
Our sleep isn’t just the body resting, it is a complex system of processes that occur within. The circadian rhythm is nicknamed the body’s internal clock. It helps regulate the body's sleep cycles. The homeostatic sleep drive turns up the need for sleep the longer you are awake. It’s kind of like an hour glass; when the sand runs out, you need to sleep in order to flip it over and restart.
Our tendency to stay up later as college students actually starts at around 12 to 13 years of age. Puberty increases our ability to stay up later at night and have an ability to fall asleep, whereas before puberty, our bodies were more likely to fall asleep earlier. This trend of late sleep continues on as we get into college—the average college freshman falls asleep 75 minutes later than the average high school senior.
A lack of sleep can affect more than one would think. Sleep can affect learning and memory. Sleep and memory formation have a complex relationship, one that scientists are still trying to figure out exactly. Most scientists agree that memory works better after a solid nights sleep. That is because memory is thought to be stored during the REM (rapid eye movement) period of the sleep pattern. How many people have pulled an all-nighter before an exam? You know, staying at the library and trying to learn calculus all in one night because you can’t afford to fail? Tests have shown that you are doing more harm than good. A recent experiment was just conducted in which students were given things to memorize, and then were separated—half of the students were asked to pull an all-nighter, and the other half got a normal amount of sleep. The students who pulled an all-nighter were shown to score two whole test grades lower than the group who got a normal night's sleep.
The official medical term for a lack of sleep is “sleep deprivation.” Scientists have been able to isolate certain things that cause sleep deprivation. One major factor contributing to sleep deprivation is a regular consumption of alcohol. Four out of five college students admit to drinking, and 40 percent of students admit to binge drinking. Binge drinking is when you consume at least four to five drinks in a row, most likely causing you to become intoxicated. Alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, but it makes it harder to stay asleep.
A lack of sleep also affects the GPA of college students. Students who got nine hours of sleep per night on average had a GPA of 3.24, compared to students who only had six hours of sleep per night, who had an average GPA of 2.74. That’s the difference between getting accepted into your dream graduate school or not.
In conclusion, sleep is more important than one might think. It directly affects GPA, and can affect your memory. The science behind sleep is complex, and researchers are still figuring it out. My advice? Try going to sleep one or two hours earlier than normal, and see how you feel tomorrow.
