Sleeping vs. Studying

College students commonly believe studying, or “cramming”, from night into the early hours of the morning will benefit them more than sleeping. Yet, a majority of these students would probably say that they have heard sleeping would scientifically benefit them more when test time came.

Though researchers still are unsure exactly why people need sleep, the effects of sleep deprivation are clear signs it is important. Without proper sleep, 8-9 hours, you lose the ability to concentrate, your mood slumps, and you have problems recalling memories. Researchers believed this is because neurons can shut down and repair damage done during the day. Without them, waste only builds up. Chronic lack of sleep “increases the risk for developing obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infections” (Stibich).

The truth is, even the loss of one hour of sleep can add up over several days. It can have a powerful negative effect on daytime performance. An interesting study found “people who were awake for up to 19 hours scored substantially worse on performance and alertness than hose who were legally intoxicated” (sleep). Another study, reflecting the effect of sleep on mood, was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers “found that when study subjects were only allowed to sleep 4.5 hours a night for one week, they reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted, with overall scores for mood and vigor declining steadily during the test period. When the subjects were allowed to get enough sleep, their mood scores improved dramatically” (Sleep). Basically, the question for college students is would you rather show up for a test tense, and emotionally overwhelmed, or in a mood that is optimistic and relaxed?

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Artificial light delays sleep because it keeps you up during the night. Our natural instinct is to fall sleep as soon as the sun goes down, but due to artificial light we are able to stay awake thus throwing off our sleeping rhythm.

The best advice to get to sleep would be to drink a glass of milk (possessing tryptophan) and just relaxing.

Sources:

Stibich, Mark. "Benefits of Sleep." at: http://longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/sleep_benefits.htm.

Sleep-Wake Cycle at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/atf/cf/%7BF6BF2668-A1B4-4FE8-8D1A-A5D39340D9CB%7D/Sleep-Wake_Cycle.pdf or at The National Sleep Foundation website: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2417141/k.2E30/The_National_Sleep_Foundation.htm