2008 Woodie Awards
The Sleep Equation
School, studying, social life... the college student's struggle for sleep
Erin Bowen
Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Features
Six-thirty a.m. Then 6:35, 6:40 … by the time the alarm buzzes again, hitting the snooze button is futile when trying to make up for lost sleep. It is the start of another day, but for many college students it is the continuation of the cycle of sleep deprivation.
With studies reporting that approximately 20 percent of collect students suffer from sleeping disorders, the National Sleep Foundation discovered in the 2008 Sleep in America Poll that an average night's sleep is just six hours and 40 minutes-a far cry from the recommended seven to nine hours.
But while college students juggle schoolwork, jobs and social lives, sleep is replaced with studying, work and partying. Magic energy is found in skinny cans as energy drinks, such as Redbull, promise to give students "wings." The effects of sleep deprivation are pushed aside as college students rub away sleepy eyes, stifle a yawn and start the new day.
Time crunch
To Mia Biran, Miami University psychology professor, sleep deprivation is something that should not be overlooked.
"I think it's a chronic problem for the kids," Biran said. "They are struggling with a lot of tasks. They sometimes have jobs that they carry (and) social lives. There are probably some that don't have that much on their plate and have a more relaxed lifestyle, but most of them, I think, at least two days a week seem to be overly exhausted."
Joshua Hersh, a staff psychiatrist for Student Counseling Services, agreed that sleep deprivation is not a surprising commonality among college students.
"One might suggest that a lot of students are overscheduled," Hersh said. "There might be a higher incident of sleep deprivation because (college students) feel so overwhelmed. Not only do they have a lot of things to do, but then they have anxiety, which can affect their sleep. That might lead people to suffer more."
Sophomore Seth Philip said he knows what it is like to balance academics, athletics and a social life. A member of the Miami varsity football team, Philip said finding time for rest is difficult.
"I think it can definitely be challenging to maintain a good sleep schedule with all that stuff going on," Philip said. "I think the biggest problem facing athletes is probably the weekend because after a long stressful week they feel like they have to go out and socialize. A lot of times, that is when sleep is lost. Even during the week, you are up late doing work, and it's tough to go to bed at a decent hour."
While Hersh said sleep deprivation may result from a number of reasons, most often students suffer from irregular sleep patterns.
"Probably the most common cause of sleep deprivation that we could see here at the counseling service is what is called a circadian rhythm sleep disorder," Hersh said.
According to Hersh, this type of sleep disorder results from the abnormal sleep schedules associated with the college lifestyle.
"(Students) are often staying up late on the weekends, then sleeping in and then have difficulty falling asleep, especially on Sunday nights," Hersh said. "Their classes might be scheduled so that on Tuesday and Thursday they don't have a class until noon, but on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they have a class at eight. What happens is that their sleep schedule gets all out of whack and they can't fall asleep. They always struggle with insomnia and, of course, these people struggle with the effects of sleep deprivation."
For sophomore Daniel Mason, pulling all-nighters is nothing new.
"I probably pull an all-nighter once every three weeks," Mason said.
Mason, who is taking 18 credit hours, said at least every couple of weeks, he has two exams on the same day.
"Going to bed would be a waste of time because I don't have enough time to study all of that material," Mason said. "Sleep is for the weak."
The snooze factor
Hersh described the effects of sleep deprivation as impaired concentration and focus, memory deficiencies, increased irritability and an overwhelming drive to sleep.
Without sleep, Hersh said a student can think of little else than obtaining rest.
"The drive to sleep might encompass someone's mind entirely or distract them from other things," Hersh said.
After staying awake all night, Mason said it usually takes his body about two days to fully recover.
Along with the desire to sleep, Biran said sleep deprived individuals react irrationally when presented with conflict.
"When you are irritable, you are more likely to react more angrily and hostile than if you were well-rested," Biran said. "Usually, this is a vicious cycle for people and a real problem."
Hersh echoed Biran, stating that stress can induce out-of-character responses.
"Little things might set them off and put them in a rage," Hersh said.
Additionally, Biran said the lack of sleep reduces intellectual performance.
A 2000 study by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that brain activity is altered by sleep deprivation. In severely sleep deprived subjects, the frontal lobe and other portions of the brain do not function.
And beside the emotional repercussions of sleep deprivation, both Hersh and Biran emphasized the increased risk of accidents that comes after sleepless nights.
"For people who haven't slept for 24 hours, it's the equivalent of being legally intoxicated," Hersh said.
In his book Power Sleep, James Maas, a Cornell University professor, estimated that approximately 1,500 people are killed each year in the U.S. due to drivers that fell asleep at the wheel.
Car accidents aren't the only serious side effects of sleep deprivation. In addition to stroke and heart attacks, University of Michigan junior Susan Weatherford knows firsthand that seizures can result from days without sufficient sleep.
Weatherford, who experienced her first seizure in 2005, has worked with neurologists who have pinpointed a lack of sleep as a cause for her seizures.
"After a week or a few days when I have consistently gotten less than five hours of sleep, I usually have a seizure," Weatherford said.
While other symptoms include difficulty focusing and trouble vocalizing her thoughts, Weatherford said she now requires eight hours of sleep to function properly.
Biran reinforced the need for eight hours of sleep.
"Up until about four years ago the notion was that sleep was an individual thing and that you could sleep only six hours," Biran said. "Now I am seeing more and more studies reporting an average need of eight hours of sleep for adults and also a recommendation to take naps."
Artificial energy
Unlike Weatherford, many students never experience the extreme side effects of sleep deprivation. According to Hersh, they are able to maintain social lifestyles with the help of stimulants, in the form of both drugs and caffeine drinks such as Redbull and Rockstar.
Hersh said he commonly sees students unsuccessfully masking the side effects of sleep deprivation with stimulants.
"I run into people misusing stimulants in various ways, whether it's caffeine or prescription stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall," Hersh said.
When students are stressed to complete a last minute assignment or study for a final exam, Hersh said this is the worst time to use stimulants since the body already has an excess of natural adrenaline.
"What they try to do is to push their body to the maximum," Hersh said. "They are taking stimulants to stay up all night or they have already stayed up all night and they are taking it during the day to stay awake. That is certainly very unhealthy."
Although Weatherford said she does not use energy drinks, she said she can see why some students believe stimulants can replace sleep.
"I think people think energy drinks will get them through the night and help them with an all-nighter," Weatherford said.
Philip said he has seen the effect of energy drinks on students, as well.
"Being an athlete, we're warned all the time about the dangers of energy drinks and how bad they are for the body," Philip said. "I think it's a definite issue that students tend to forget about sleep, drink an energy drink and stay up late. It can definitely mess up their sleep schedules."
To Biran, students who counteract the need for sleep with energy supplements are only creating future problems.
"I think there is some kind of psychological dependency eventually," Biran said. "If you don't take all of these substances, you know you have to sleep and you try to get to sleep when you can. But if you rely on them, you can party all night and then realize you have to study."
Not only did Biran say this mindset creates poor study habits, she said it fosters an unhealthy outlook on life.
"I don't think it's a healthy way of perceiving life," Biran said. "It's a crutch. I think it's bad, but I know a lot of students are doing it."
With studies reporting that approximately 20 percent of collect students suffer from sleeping disorders, the National Sleep Foundation discovered in the 2008 Sleep in America Poll that an average night's sleep is just six hours and 40 minutes-a far cry from the recommended seven to nine hours.
But while college students juggle schoolwork, jobs and social lives, sleep is replaced with studying, work and partying. Magic energy is found in skinny cans as energy drinks, such as Redbull, promise to give students "wings." The effects of sleep deprivation are pushed aside as college students rub away sleepy eyes, stifle a yawn and start the new day.
Time crunch
To Mia Biran, Miami University psychology professor, sleep deprivation is something that should not be overlooked.
"I think it's a chronic problem for the kids," Biran said. "They are struggling with a lot of tasks. They sometimes have jobs that they carry (and) social lives. There are probably some that don't have that much on their plate and have a more relaxed lifestyle, but most of them, I think, at least two days a week seem to be overly exhausted."
Joshua Hersh, a staff psychiatrist for Student Counseling Services, agreed that sleep deprivation is not a surprising commonality among college students.
"One might suggest that a lot of students are overscheduled," Hersh said. "There might be a higher incident of sleep deprivation because (college students) feel so overwhelmed. Not only do they have a lot of things to do, but then they have anxiety, which can affect their sleep. That might lead people to suffer more."
Sophomore Seth Philip said he knows what it is like to balance academics, athletics and a social life. A member of the Miami varsity football team, Philip said finding time for rest is difficult.
"I think it can definitely be challenging to maintain a good sleep schedule with all that stuff going on," Philip said. "I think the biggest problem facing athletes is probably the weekend because after a long stressful week they feel like they have to go out and socialize. A lot of times, that is when sleep is lost. Even during the week, you are up late doing work, and it's tough to go to bed at a decent hour."
While Hersh said sleep deprivation may result from a number of reasons, most often students suffer from irregular sleep patterns.
"Probably the most common cause of sleep deprivation that we could see here at the counseling service is what is called a circadian rhythm sleep disorder," Hersh said.
According to Hersh, this type of sleep disorder results from the abnormal sleep schedules associated with the college lifestyle.
"(Students) are often staying up late on the weekends, then sleeping in and then have difficulty falling asleep, especially on Sunday nights," Hersh said. "Their classes might be scheduled so that on Tuesday and Thursday they don't have a class until noon, but on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they have a class at eight. What happens is that their sleep schedule gets all out of whack and they can't fall asleep. They always struggle with insomnia and, of course, these people struggle with the effects of sleep deprivation."
For sophomore Daniel Mason, pulling all-nighters is nothing new.
"I probably pull an all-nighter once every three weeks," Mason said.
Mason, who is taking 18 credit hours, said at least every couple of weeks, he has two exams on the same day.
"Going to bed would be a waste of time because I don't have enough time to study all of that material," Mason said. "Sleep is for the weak."
The snooze factor
Hersh described the effects of sleep deprivation as impaired concentration and focus, memory deficiencies, increased irritability and an overwhelming drive to sleep.
Without sleep, Hersh said a student can think of little else than obtaining rest.
"The drive to sleep might encompass someone's mind entirely or distract them from other things," Hersh said.
After staying awake all night, Mason said it usually takes his body about two days to fully recover.
Along with the desire to sleep, Biran said sleep deprived individuals react irrationally when presented with conflict.
"When you are irritable, you are more likely to react more angrily and hostile than if you were well-rested," Biran said. "Usually, this is a vicious cycle for people and a real problem."
Hersh echoed Biran, stating that stress can induce out-of-character responses.
"Little things might set them off and put them in a rage," Hersh said.
Additionally, Biran said the lack of sleep reduces intellectual performance.
A 2000 study by the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that brain activity is altered by sleep deprivation. In severely sleep deprived subjects, the frontal lobe and other portions of the brain do not function.
And beside the emotional repercussions of sleep deprivation, both Hersh and Biran emphasized the increased risk of accidents that comes after sleepless nights.
"For people who haven't slept for 24 hours, it's the equivalent of being legally intoxicated," Hersh said.
In his book Power Sleep, James Maas, a Cornell University professor, estimated that approximately 1,500 people are killed each year in the U.S. due to drivers that fell asleep at the wheel.
Car accidents aren't the only serious side effects of sleep deprivation. In addition to stroke and heart attacks, University of Michigan junior Susan Weatherford knows firsthand that seizures can result from days without sufficient sleep.
Weatherford, who experienced her first seizure in 2005, has worked with neurologists who have pinpointed a lack of sleep as a cause for her seizures.
"After a week or a few days when I have consistently gotten less than five hours of sleep, I usually have a seizure," Weatherford said.
While other symptoms include difficulty focusing and trouble vocalizing her thoughts, Weatherford said she now requires eight hours of sleep to function properly.
Biran reinforced the need for eight hours of sleep.
"Up until about four years ago the notion was that sleep was an individual thing and that you could sleep only six hours," Biran said. "Now I am seeing more and more studies reporting an average need of eight hours of sleep for adults and also a recommendation to take naps."
Artificial energy
Unlike Weatherford, many students never experience the extreme side effects of sleep deprivation. According to Hersh, they are able to maintain social lifestyles with the help of stimulants, in the form of both drugs and caffeine drinks such as Redbull and Rockstar.
Hersh said he commonly sees students unsuccessfully masking the side effects of sleep deprivation with stimulants.
"I run into people misusing stimulants in various ways, whether it's caffeine or prescription stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall," Hersh said.
When students are stressed to complete a last minute assignment or study for a final exam, Hersh said this is the worst time to use stimulants since the body already has an excess of natural adrenaline.
"What they try to do is to push their body to the maximum," Hersh said. "They are taking stimulants to stay up all night or they have already stayed up all night and they are taking it during the day to stay awake. That is certainly very unhealthy."
Although Weatherford said she does not use energy drinks, she said she can see why some students believe stimulants can replace sleep.
"I think people think energy drinks will get them through the night and help them with an all-nighter," Weatherford said.
Philip said he has seen the effect of energy drinks on students, as well.
"Being an athlete, we're warned all the time about the dangers of energy drinks and how bad they are for the body," Philip said. "I think it's a definite issue that students tend to forget about sleep, drink an energy drink and stay up late. It can definitely mess up their sleep schedules."
To Biran, students who counteract the need for sleep with energy supplements are only creating future problems.
"I think there is some kind of psychological dependency eventually," Biran said. "If you don't take all of these substances, you know you have to sleep and you try to get to sleep when you can. But if you rely on them, you can party all night and then realize you have to study."
Not only did Biran say this mindset creates poor study habits, she said it fosters an unhealthy outlook on life.
"I don't think it's a healthy way of perceiving life," Biran said. "It's a crutch. I think it's bad, but I know a lot of students are doing it."
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