Why is it that college students always stay up much later than they need to and get much less sleep than is recommended? (Yes, this is a sweeping generalization. Yes, I’m going to continue as if it isn’t.)
I’m a really bad example of this. Since Sunday night, I’ve been asleep twice, totalling around 16 hours. Not a good idea. I’m managing to pull through, but I can’t imagine the effects this is having on my body. Having taken a class in sleep psych last semester, I’m fully aware of the detrimental effects of lack-of-sleep from a scientific standpoint, and years of experimentation gives me first-hand proof that this is all true. And yet I continue to do it. I’m not the only one though – many of my friends sit out with me in the hallway of our dorm until 2, 3, 4am, sometimes even staying up late enough to go out to eat when a popular “diner” near campus opens at 5am. Now, granted, most of them aren’t as bad as me (I barely have a sleep schedule anymore), but sleep deprivation is chronic and widespread among college students. It really is a shame, as these are very important years in our lives from a developmental standpoint (mental, physical), and yet we keep ourselves from fully developing. There’s just too much stuff to do, and not enough time. I’m not saying that we should be assigned less work so that we can still have the “full college experience” and still get enough sleep, but I feel like someone out there should do some real research into this, and try to find out a way that we can efficiently balance everything that demands time out of our finite daily allotment (sleep included).
(If, after reading through that, it seems like a bunch of nonsense, just think of it as proof that all-nighters are not such a good thing.)
Recent Comments