Author Correction: Madeline Miller
Humans spend about one-third of their lives sleeping, a necessity for basic functioning. However, college life can make it difficult to get the recommended eight hours of rest. There are many reasons why sleep deprivation is not a good college strategy, but surprisingly even fewer solutions to this common drawback.
Retaining information can be significantly improved when proper amounts of sleep are met. As you continually absorb and retain materials, your brain needs breaks for recovery to properly store that information. Research suggests that a helpful habit to fall into is to study for a few hours before bed, but give yourself at least twenty to thirty minutes of wind-down time prior to falling asleep. You should use this time to listen to music, enjoy a hobby, or do some light reading before going to sleep. Studying to the point of exhaustion can cause more harm than good, sometimes making the brain remember information incorrectly, or causing brain fog while trying to study.
Cognitive performance significantly declines with sleep deprivation. This is usually linked to attention deficits, memory issues, strained concentration and even difficult decision-making. The ability to ignore distractions and maintain focus can be diminished as well, making a bustling classroom a tough learning environment.
Sleep deprivation can also have detrimental emotional, psychological and physical consequences. Getting less than five hours of sleep on average can increase anxiety, stress, depression and emotional distress. College is stressful as it is, and with the lack of mental stability caused just by insufficient sleep, student stress levels will continue to rise until burnout.
To prevent sleep deprivation, prioritize sleep over cramming information. Remember, if you’re exhausted you are not going to retain much of the information you study anyway, so mindlessly studying while half awake would not be useful. Some people thrive off six to seven hours of sleep, but add an additional hour nap sometime throughout their daily schedule. Using a sleep tracker app can help identify struggles someone might have with reaching rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, where the brain focuses on enhancing memory and processing problem-solving abilities, and overall can improve cognitive functions and thinking abilities.
Though it may seem that sacrificing a few hours each night for social events, busy schedules and academic pressures is normal and okay, it can actually have significant negative effects. Being aware of one’s physical and mental limits and prioritizing sleep is a crucial way to survive college.