Sleep
It’s hard trying to get enough sleep when you have a lot of things going on in your life. As a student, you are expected to work, go to school, maintain a social life, do extracurriculars, and cook for yourself. There’s a to-do list that seems to be endless in your head, and many find that the best time to complete it is in the middle of the night, when no one can bother you. Many students also use the night hours to relax and be on their phone after working all day. But, there’s a cost to this. The amount of time that you spend awake in bed, sleep is reduced.
Benefits of Sleep
There are multiple ways that sleep can help a student:
-
Improve concentration
-
Improve memory retention
-
Reduce stress
-
Think more clearly
-
Better decision making
-
Increased energy
All of these can help to improve academic performance. If a person is able to concentrate it will help them to understand lectures. If a student has better memory retention it will lead to better academic performance.
Sleep Deprivation
Lowry et al. (2010) studied sleep quality and academic performance of college students. They defined partial sleep deprivation as getting less than 5 hours of sleep in a night. The effects of this are linked to decreased cognitive functions (p. 16). With decreased cognitive function, it can decrease memory retention, attention span, and emotional stability.
Wake up early
Tips for More Sleep
Develop a routine or have a consistent schedule
Communicate your availability with friends and family
Turn your phone off 1 hour before bed
Create a dark and quiet sleeping environment
Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake
References
Krueger, P. M., & Friedman, E. M. (2009). Sleep duration in the united
states: A cross-sectional population-based study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 169(9), 1052-1063. doi:10.1093/aje/kwp023
Lowry, M., Dean, K. and Manders, K. (2010) The link between sleep
quantity and academic performance for the college student.