Nicole Dieterle
Amy McCombs
Lizzie Sullivan
Blair Wegner
Sleep Deprivation and the Modern College Student
Early to bed, early to rise is an age-old adage that we have heard ever since we were kids.
However, this bit of wisdom does not seem to apply to everyone anymore. Studies now show
that college students are increasingly sleep deprived, and according to the head of Illinois
Wesleyan University’s counseling service, this can be a major threat to their successful
adaptation to college life (Hanna, 2004). Going to bed early for teenagers and young adults is not
as simple as it sounds, so the getting-up-early part can lead to a decrease in sleep, as well as
many other dangerous predicaments.
Research shows that teenagers and young adults tend to fall asleep later and awaken later
than adults. This is due to a puberty-induced hormonal change that affects the circadian rhythm,
or biological clock. The shift in the “clock” causes the body to desire a later bedtime and later
wake-up call (Morris, 2000). This poses a problem for school-aged children who have early-
morning classes. This eventually evolves into a dangerous pattern by the time these students
enter college. Surveys show that “only one in twenty high school students have a bedtime set by
parents” (Sanghavi, 2005). This may seem like toddler-talk, but the fact is it is important for
young adults to stay on a set routine with their sleep habits in order to maintain optimal physical
health as well as higher academic potential.
Still not convinced you need your zzz’s? Researchers have found that up to sixty percent
of road accidents are caused by sleep-deprived-drivers. “Getting less than six hours of sleep a
night can affect coordination, reaction time and judgment” (Reuters, 2000). Ample nightly sleep
is needed to regenerate the brain, and after a lack of essential sleep, neurons can begin to
malfunction. This malfunction can lead to difficulty in basic rational, a weakened immune
system, increased anxiety, attention problems and even overeating (thus weight gain!) (Sanghavi,
2005).
A Stanford University scientist, Emmanuel Mignot, has found that sleep appears to be an
important factor in America’s weight-control dilemma, and according to the National Sleep
Foundation, an estimated sixty-three percent of Americans do not get enough sleep each night.
This percentage astonishingly coincides with the national percentage of Americans who are
overweight or obese, which is sixty five percent (Hellmich, 2004). Coincidence? We think not!
“Sleep deprivation increases levels of a hunger hormone and decreases levels of a hormone that
makes you feel full. The effects may lead to overeating and weight gain (Hellmich, 2004). Here
could be a reason for the infamous “freshman fifteen”. In addition to a healthy diet, it is
important to get plenty of sleep each night to avoid these extra pounds.
In addition to courses, the average college student is involved with extracurricular
activities, nightly homework, part or full-time jobs and a very important social life to manage.
Getting enough sleep is usually not included in their daily planners, and parents do not send off
their child to college wit warnings of getting too little sleep. The more common warning from
mom and dad usually involve alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, pregnancy, sexual transmitted
diseases, and the depression that is associated with college life. Encouraging college students to
get the eight hours of recommended sleep each night is not only a good lesson to teach your
children when they are younger, but can also become a matter of life and death when they get
older.
Future Implications
Sleep deprivation is a huge problem on the rise among college students. The problem
with sleep deprivation is that there is not enough focus and concern given to the subject. Now is
the time to begin to educate people on awareness of this illness. It is overlooked and under
diagnosed over and over again.
To help prevent sleep deprivation in teens, school officials in California have proposed
setting later school start times. In Minnesota school districts, after implementing later start times,
studies showed that attendance improved and academic scores jumped. In Fayette County,
Kentucky, the school system reports a decline in teen car crashes after their high school pushed
back school start times an hour (Sanghavi, 2005).
The idea of going to bed just one extra hour a night does not seem like it can really make
a difference, but studies and research shows that it does. It is suggested that if you develop good
sleeping habits as a child, it will be an easier transition when heading into middle, high school
and ultimately to college. Making parents aware of the problem of sleep deprivation in college
students, will surely encourage them to enforce a simple bedtime that can possibly save their
child’s life.
Discussion Questions
One can relate the media literacy skill of Grouping to sleep deprivation by categorizing
all of the important elements into groups. There are many different effects of sleep deprivation.
“How do we group these effects into categories?”
One category could the category of youth. Sleep deprivation affects young people in
particular. College students and children alike need more sleep than older people due to
hormonal changes and the pressure to excel academically. Not to mention, social pressures,
hectic schedules, and other distractions (Morris, 2000).
Another category could be cognitive effects. Studies have shown that sleep allows the
brain to place memories into more effective storage areas (Hathaway, 2005). College students
who sleep more than nine hours tend to have higher grade point averages than those who get less
sleep (Sanghavi, 2005). Sleep helps the brain to perform optimally. One’s body cannot exercise
for days and days straight without rest, and our minds need that rest too! (Ledoux, 2001).
An additional category could be overall physical health. Sleep can be as important as
having the right diet and getting enough exercise. Sleep deprivation is related to a small part of
the hypothalamus, which is the region of the brain also responsible for appetite regulation.
Amounts of sleep are also amazingly revealed in hormones in the blood. Adequate sleep can
prevent stress (Hellmich, 2004).
Furthermore, sleep deprivation can be applied to the skill of Induction by learning
patterns across all of the elements that sleep deprivation consists of and by making a
generalization. “What pattern of effects do we see?” The pattern one can infer easily across all of
the knowledge gained about sleep deprivation is general health and lifestyle risk. More
specifically, if you don’t get enough sleep, major changes in your lifestyle will be observed.
Sleep deprivation leads to frequent illness, anxiety, general fatigue, and impaired concentration
(Hanna, 2004). College students can expect sleep deprivation to strongly affect their
concentration levels, long term memory, and therefore their grades in school (Cardinal, 2005).
The risks of traffic accidents increase five times when one is sleep deprived (Ssnghavi, 2005).
One can expect impaired reaction time, coordination, and judgment due to sleep deprivation
(Reuters, 2000). Sleep deprivation increases levels of a hunger hormone that makes you feel full
so you are more prone to weight gain (Hellmich, 2004). The immune system is strongly
weakened due to lack of sleep (Ledoux, 2001). In general, sleep deprivation poses health and
education dangers for college students that cannot be ignored.
By using Abstraction, one can easily see the message behind the research studies done.
“What message do college students and people in general need to hear?” Sleep is a major human
drive, just like wanting food and sex, but it seems often ignored by doctors (Sanghavi, 2005).
Since it is a major drive, know that when the body needs sleep, it’s important to get it! It is
obvious that people need enough sleep to be healthy, intelligent, safe, energetic, and over all
happy! Please, get your zzz’s!
For more information on sleep deprivation:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/602.sleep.html
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27000326
http://chetday.com/9stopstosleep.htm
http://www.sleepnet.com/depriv.htm
Works Cited
Hanna, Jeffery G.(2004, September 13). Sleep Deprivation a Major Concern For New
College Students. College Campus News. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from the World
Wide Web: http://collegenews.org/x3615.xml
Hathaway, William. (2005, July 5). Good Nights Sleep Helps with Memory. Hartford
Courant Company. Retrieved November 30, 2005 from the World Wide Web:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?-m=54272ba25cdfdd262f69f2
Hellmich, Nanci. (2004, December 7). Sleep loss (may) = weight gain. . USA Today.
Retrieved November 30, 2005, from the World Wide Web:
http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&anJOE059198413304.
Morris, Jim. (2000, September 29). Sleep experts to teens:Please, get your zzz’s.
CNN.com. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from the World Wide Web:
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/children/09/28/sleepy.teens.01/
Reuters. (2000, September 20). Sleep deprivation as bad as alcohol impairment, Study
suggests. WebMD. Retrieved December 3, 2005, from the World Wide Web:
http://webmd.com
Sangvahi, Darshak, M.D. (2005, June 21). Teenagers need help to form better sleep
habits. The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 30, 2005, from the World Wide
Web:http:www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/Articles/2005/06/21/teena
gers_need_help_to_form_better_sleep_habits