Erik Hansen is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Policy and the “When I Was a Mustang…” columnist.
Many of us have tested the bounds of sleep deprivation this past year. It always seems like there is never enough time in the day to squeeze in class, work, homework, studying, reading, exercise and a social life — let alone getting a full eight hours of sleep. Every day ends up being a test of one’s time management skills and endurance.
As you start getting to bed later and later, and the amount of sleep you get becomes less and less, it’s not just your 8 a.m. physics class that suffers — eventually your mind and body will follow. To make matters worse, some of you might begin feeling the added effects of stress as we wrap up the school year and head into finals.
According to Dr. William Dement of the Stanford University School of Medicine, the average college student needs approximately eight hours of sleep. However, the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center states that college students obtain an average of only six hours of sleep per night. As such, many college students are experiencing the effects of sleep deprivation, creating what Dr. Dement calls a “sleep debt.”
A 2007 article in “USA Today” summarized the findings of a St. Lawrence University study on sleep deprivation, which found that sleep deprivation can significantly impair a college student’s academic and athletic performance. Also, in December 2010, the UK’s “Independent” reported that when researchers showed people photographs of the faces of volunteers who had been deprived of sleep, the volunteers were looking less healthy and less attractive than photographs of the same volunteers when they were well-rested.
If that’s not enough to scare you right to sleep, according to WebMD, short-term sleep deprivation can result in decreased performance and alertness, memory and cognitive impairment and an overall reduction in one’s quality of life. Long-term sleep deprivation can result in high blood pressure, obesity, psychiatric problems and mental impairment.
To perform at your best, and for those who routinely lack adequate sleep, try 1) making more time for sleep and 2) making the most of your sleep; emphasis on the word “making.” To help, the following tips have been compiled from, or are inspired by, the websites of the various “sleep institutes,” which specialize in addressing sleep disorders.
Making more time for sleep
Get stuff done earlier: Take inventory of the activities that are keeping you up late at night. This could include activities such as homework, household chores and/or emailing friends and family. Now, take this list of activities and schedule them for earlier in the day.
Stop procrastinating: Rescheduling those activities that keep you up late at night for earlier in the day can help address procrastination. People tend to put off activities that don’t excite them, and/or which are boring or mundane. Whether it’s delaying finishing a paper, or ignoring a sink full of dirty dishes, the task isn’t going to complete itself. There’s no magic bullet for procrastination other than rationalizing the short- and long-term benefits and consequences of completing tasks in an efficient and timely manner.
Schedule your bed time: While you’re rescheduling those activities that keep you up late at night, also try scheduling a time by when you’ll be in bed. Realize though that scheduling is the easy part; sticking to your schedule is the hard part.
Making the most of your sleep
Transition to bed: If you do schedule a time by when you’ll be in bed, try to also set aside an hour right before for you to “transition.” This means creating a time period when you don’t do anything physically or emotionally taxing.
Limit/Eliminate your stress: Everyone handles stress differently. Meditation, music, reading and video games are just a few examples of activities people use to deal with stress. These types of activities are also appropriate for that time period during which you’re transitioning to bed.
Tune the atmosphere: Control the climate, increase the darkness and decrease the noise. Eye shades and earplugs are two cheap and easy ways to positively modify your environment and help you fall asleep quickly.
Cut the caffeine: In the morning, try to limit your caffeine intake to a healthy level — typically less than 500 to 600 milligrams, or approximately three cups of drip coffee. As the day goes on, try to avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening — this also means avoiding some sodas, teas and chocolate. With a half-life of approximately five hours, this will allow your body to process the caffeine in your system by the time you head to bed.
Get your drinking in early: If you’re going to drink, try drinking earlier in the evening so your body has enough time to metabolize all of the alcohol in your system by the time you head to bed. As a general rule of thumb, your body is able to metabolize one drink — or half an ounce of pure alcohol — every hour; that’s one beer, five ounces of wine or one shot. If you plan on being in bed no later — or earlier — than 10 p.m., having two drinks with dinner is fine, so long as you wrap up your drinking by 8 p.m.
Exercise: Not only does exercise exhaust your body, but it can also help your body better manage stress. However, similar to caffeine and alcohol, try to exercise earlier in the day or evening, finishing your workout at least two hours before you plan on being in bed. This will give your heart plenty of time to slow down, your body plenty of time to cool off and your mind plenty of time to come down from the adrenaline surge.
Don’t go to bed too hungry or too full: Striking that happy medium isn’t as hard as it may seem. By not skipping dinner, but not eating after 8 p.m., you can prevent your stomach from keeping you up at night.