This chart is one you’ve probably all seen. It was sent around your friends as a joke in your first year and let me guess, everyone was ready to give up sleep just to have a social life and get good grades? Well I’m here to tell you that you may be sacrificing the one thing that can help improve your grades, physical appearance AND ability to have a social life. Listen up chicas, ’cause catching some z’s might just save you from future disaster!
Sleep is our body’s natural way of repairing damage throughout the body while we peacefully doze. Waking up feeling refreshed may not always happen in college, but waking up and not feeling groggy or more tired is totally attainable. Most college students suffer from sleep deprivation. While this may seem inevitable in college, a little sleep deprivation is ok every now and then since you most likely won’t be sleep deprived after college. However, being constantly sleep deprived can and will begin to take its toll on your body and mind.
1. Sick and Tired
When you’re tired and not getting enough sleep, you feel worn down and exhausted. But guess what, your lack of sleep isn’t only making you sleepy, it’s making you susceptible to all sorts of illnesses that can attack while your defenses are down. Since you aren’t getting enough sleep, your immune system isn’t able to do its job properly. If you get enough sleep you’re less likely to spend time in your bed recovering from the flu or a stomach virus.from the flu or a stomach virus.
2. Memory
You may think that pulling an all nighter before a big test will help you and maybe once or twice it did. But that lack of sleep is seriously affecting your brain and it’s ability to put facts into long-term memory. The time you’re asleep is sort of like when you back your computer up to a hard drive. It needs time to download all the new things you learned and back them up so you can easily recall them later on without having to relearn them. Also researchers at Harvard University and Boston College found that people seem to strengthen the emotional components of a memory during sleep, which may help spur the creative process. So not only does it help all you bio majors but us creative majors need a good nights sleep as well.
3. Depression & Others
Getting enough sleep can not only steer you clear of symptoms of depression, but it also can help you avoid lots of life altering illnesses in the future. Studies have shown that people who got less than five hours of sleep are more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes as well as be at higher risk of heart attack and high blood pressure. However, those who get enough sleep can actually add years on to their lives!
4. Weight loss
Women who don’t get enough sleep not only jeopardize their metabolism’s ability to function correctly, but also may notice that they are gaining weight! Not getting enough sleep may increase your inability to make healthy decisions and increase your desire for sugary fattening foods. Your body is looking for energy and it knows you’ll get a sugar rush from that donut and you’re too tired to notice that it’s your third—YIKES!
5. Impaired thinking
Did you know that after not sleeping for 72 hours you would feel as if you had been drinking? You not only will be tired but your brain may start to make you space out to the point of trying to sleep while awake—WHAT. But even if you’re just sleep deprived, your ability to stay awake and alert in classes will be impaired. And if you’re ability to think clearly is already impaired, adding alcohol on a Wednesday night or on the weekends may end up as a deadly combination.
6. Beauty Sleep
I know I’m personally sick of trying to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. But when you don’t sleep your skin also looks pallid and sallow (EW) and you may wake up to more acne because your hormones are out of whack from lack of sleep! Also premature aging and wrinkles can also be linked to sleep deprivation!
Whether you get nine hours or five hours, something to always keep in mind is that it’s not always quantity but quality of sleep that matters more. You’re body may get 12 hours but you might wake up groggy because it wasn’t 12 great hours of sleep. (12 hours is also too much sleep for most people). College aged people need at least seven hours of sleep but ideally eight hours to fully function and be able to succeed. Having trouble sleeping? Try some of these tips and tricks out.
- Set a bedtime for yourself. It sounds lame, but when you tell yourself that you have to be in bed by 11:45, you make it so you can’t stay up late doing homework and you might have to work a little harder earlier or work ahead. Plus having a consistent bedtime and wake time will help your body’s natural clock reset.
- Turn off your electronics. I know it’s tempting to watch a TV show right before bed or play a game on your phone until your eyes close, but that bright light may be affecting your brains ability to sleep well. And yeah, you could turn down the brightness all the way, but you know what has no brightness? A book.
- Avoid using your bed for other activities than sleep and sex. Your brain associates your bed as a place to sleep…and do other things. But, if you spend all day sitting in your bed and on your computer or doing homework, your brain starts to associate being awake with being in your bed. If you have no where else to sit, try to make your bed almost like a couch and sit on it like that and not lying down to try and help your brain.
- Exercise! Getting sufficient exercise can seriously improve your body’s ability to fall asleep faster and deeper consistently. Even just taking a walk with friends can help.
If these tips don’t help and you still find that you either can’t sleep or are constantly tired, you should approach someone at the Health Center. There are plenty of reasons why people can be sleep deprived and you may be experiencing something that one of the doctors can help you with. Above all, get your z’s ladies, because your beauty, brains and bodies all depend on it.
HCXOXO
Eliza