In today’s college atmosphere, it is easy for students to become stuck in a downward spiral of reckless behaviors that can throw off their sleeping habits. There is a multitude of distractions, and in coupling with a decreasing desire to be productive and an intense workload, failure is hard to escape. Instead of using time management skills and planning their schedules to fit accordingly so that they can get a proper amount of rest, they turn to unhealthy alternatives to help them stay awake for nights at a time, cramming all of their schoolwork into a single study session. Some students even believe that sleep deprivation is just a byproduct of college, and that it is just a lifestyle that they have to become adjusted to. Although they may think that this is not problematic, in reality, the lack of sleep along with the bad habits it creates can be detrimental to their performance; not only in schooling but in their everyday lives. With the increased rate of sleep deprivation among students come consequences that can negatively affect their health: physically, mentally, and socially.

In order to understand sleep deprivation, one must first have an understanding of how sleep works. Sleep is a complicated process, involving many parts of the brain and nervous system, and broken down into several stages. The hypothalamus, brain stem, thalamus, pineal gland, basal forebrain, midbrain and amygdala all work in chorus to control the sleep-wake cycle that humans go through every day. There are many factors that work into this process. The hypothalamus, which is a small structure within the brain containing clusters of nerve cells, receives light information that the eyes detect, and the brain stem works to communicate with the hypothalamus and regulate the process of going from being awake to being asleep. Then, the information is sent to the cerebral cortex by the thalamus, and received by the pineal gland, which produces the hormone melatonin that aids in the process of falling asleep. The basal forebrain also helps in this process, while the midbrain deals with the act of arousal from sleep. Finally, the amygdala becomes active while it helps to process emotions and create dreams (Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep). Each of these structures help regulate sleep in humans, and ironically work extremely hard, even when they are asleep.

The wake-sleep cycle, however, is not as simple as that. During this process, the brain enters several stages of consciousness, which ease the transition from being awake, to being asleep, and back awake again. There are four stages total, three non-REM, and REM, which stands for “rapid eye movement”. In the first stage of lights sleep, things such as heartbeat, breathing, and brain waves begin to slow. Entering stage two, which is the stage that most of the sleep cycle is spent in, these processes slow even further and eye movement stops. In stage three, heartbeat and breathing are at their slowest. This is the stage that humans need to enter in order to feel that they have gotten a good night’s rest the next morning, and occurs in the beginning of the night. Finally, the body enters REM sleep, where the eyes move rapidly back and forth, certain muscles are temporarily paralyzed, and brain waves reach levels near to those of when one is awake. Throughout the night all of these structures allow for effortless transition between the stages of sleep, but what is the reason behind it all? Why do humans need sleep?

While one is asleep, several processes occur which are crucial to human growth and survival. Without sleep, these functions such as “[removing] toxins in your brain that build up while you are awake,” cannot occur, which can be dangerous for a person if the deprivation lasts long enough (Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep). Depriving oneself of this necessity means that simple functions such as learning and remembering information will be impaired. Fatigue, irritableness and not being able to focus are the most common side effects of a lack of sleep, which can negatively affect a person’s daily life. Young adults are advised to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, but unfortunately this is not typically the case (What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep). Virtually all college aged students experience sleep deprivation at least once in their experience, but what really happens when someone is sleep deprived?

Sleep is important to a multitude of health related issues. Just about all long term health problems could potentially arise due to an extended and consistent lack of rest. Without a sufficient amount of sleep, the immune system is compromised, and makes it harder to fight off a cold (Why Lack of Sleep is Bad for Your Health). This is especially bad for college aged students, since they need to be healthy in order to attend classes and complete their assignments. Additionally, sicknesses tend to spread faster on campuses and in dormitories since there are many students in smaller areas, which could mean bad news for the friends and classmates of those who fall sick due to sleep deprivation. 

Missing out on time to rest does not only cause simple colds, headaches and stomachaches though; it can also be detrimental to one’s physical health over time. One way that it does so is by affecting one’s weight and metabolism. Staying awake for too long creates a spike in the hormone, ghrelin, which controls the feeling of hunger, and a drop in leptin, which is the hormone that controls when you feel full (What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep). Because of this change, students who remain awake when they should be asleep feel that they need to eat more because their body is telling them to. All those extra calories accumulate over time, and lead to an increase in weight in later years. Additionally, being sleep deprived affects the way that the body takes in and processes glucose, which could potentially cause Type 2 Diabetes over time (Why Sleep Matters). In pairing with an increased intake of food, the issue of obesity and metabolism could really effect the body after not receiving the proper amount of rest. Not sleeping can also cause heart problems that are potentially very dangerous. This may be caused by an elevation in blood pressure during day hours after a poor night’s sleep that builds up over time and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (Healthy Sleep). None of these outcomes are favorable, and with all of the other factors in today’s world that increase the risk of developing problems like these, it is even more important to make sure that you have healthy sleeping habits.

Some of the most obvious side effects, though, are fatigue and exhaustion. When you deny your body the rest that it needs, you function slower and less efficiently than normal. Although it may not seem like a big deal to be a bit extra tired during the day, it actually causes problems that affect not only you, but the others around you as well. Most college students own a moped or car that they drive themselves and their friends to and from class with, so imagine the danger that one causes when they put themselves in the driver’s seat after they haven’t slept for an adequate amount of time. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year” (Drowsy Driving). A lot of the time, people won’t even realize that they are on the verge of falling asleep, which is why it makes it so dangerous to others. One minute, they’re distracted or missing signs, and the next, they nod off and lose control of their vehicle. This is especially problematic for college students who typically stay up late and drive at night. In fact, about “55% of all crashes in which the driver fell asleep involved drivers 25 year and younger” (Drowsy Driving). Not only does this lack of alertness cause problems for drivers, but also for students in their everyday lives. Being exhausted means that students are more likely to fall and hurt themselves, perform poorly in sports and activities, and have less desire to complete their assignments and do well in school.

When a student is tired, they typically put off assignments in order to catch up on whatever sleep that they can, but even when they are completing them, they aren’t doing so to the best of their ability. Without proper rest, students are less focused, less organized, and more unmotivated, which in some cases can cost them their education. Even their simplest cognitive functions are compromised, such as “concentration, working memory, mathematical capacity, and logical reasoning,” and without these, it is increasingly more difficult to do schoolwork correctly and efficiently (Healthy Sleep). Some students, however, may not even realize that they aren’t working to the best of their abilities. A lot of them believe that they are fine without proper rest because they are still attending class and doing their assigned work. However, a study done by Edward F. Pace-Schott concluded that after a single night of total sleep deprivation, students showed decreased recognition memory, and overconfidence in incorrect answers. This means that a sleep deprived student may think that they are performing just fine when in reality, their work is most likely inaccurate.

In addition to cognitive impairment, sleep deprivation can also lead to poor mental health. It is obvious that the day after an insufficient amount of rest that a person can be irritable, but a chronic “amount of sleep debt may lead to long-term mood disorders like depression and anxiety” (Why Lack of Sleep is Bad for Your Health) . This is bad news for college students, since disorders as serious as these could impair them later in life. It also means a growing disinterest in life, which could lead to even poorer academic performance, laziness, or withdrawing from college. Although it may not always be that severe, mental distress and exhaustion, stress, sadness, and anger are very commonly reported by students even after just one night of poor sleep (Healthy Sleep). When a student is in a bad mood, they are less likely to want to do their work and more likely to be irritable with their friends and peers. This puts a strain on that student’s relationships, and brings about even more distress in their lives.

Not only are student’s relationships affected by their overall mood and temper, but also simply by the fact that they may be spending more time on academics than they do interacting with their friends. It is quite ironic, actually, since sleep deprivation commonly occurs because students will trade in rest for a night out with their friends. Many times, they’ll finish their work for the night, and then instead of turning in for the night so that they are well-rested for their next day of classes, they decide to go out with their friends or partake in other social activities. Jaqueline Baltz, a student at University of Southern California, discusses a phenomenon in college culture today referred to as “FOMO”, or Fear of Missing Out. This concept is based on the idea that college students are so afraid that they might miss out on a fun night or something happening on social media, that they are willing to give up precious sleeping time to get their fill. Students will do anything from avoiding their assignments, to staying up into the early hours in the morning just so that they can be up to date on what’s happening in the now with the people around them. And then, without realizing it, they have procrastinated their assignments and find themselves backed into a corner with no time and extensive amounts of work due. A lot of students even think that this “burnout” college culture is just something that they have to get used to and that all college attendees do the same, which unfortunately sets them up for failure.

After partaking in the strange, backwards ways of neglecting sleep, students realize what they have gotten themselves into. However, instead of a good night’s rest they’ll turn to stimulants so that they can stay awake and focus enough to get their accumulated work done. One of the most commonly reached for stimulants are coffee and energy drinks. A cup of coffee in the morning is fine if done in moderation,  but “caffeine consumed even in the afternoon could impair the ability to fall asleep” (Herschner). Typically, students will drink it late at night to give them a boost, which in turn will keep them awake and deprived of rest even longer than they have to be. The same goes for energy drinks, which contain even more caffine and chemicals that are bad for your health. In fact, the “use of energy drinks is associated with higher use of alcohol and possibly other drugs, including stimulants,” which could really be harmful to a student. When these things aren’t enough, students will go as far as taking non-prescription medications that they think will help them. Unfortunately, this is a growing issue in today’s college atmosphere. Students will illegally purchase medications such as Adderall, Vyvanse, and Focalin, which are meant for those diagnosed with AHDH, with the idea that they will help them stay awake or concentrate harder, when in reality they are just harmful. Once the effect wears off, “subjects who use stimulant medications report worse sleep quality,” so even though they have managed to get their work done by the skin of their teeth, they are now even furthering their sleep deprivation. Students put themselves through all of this trauma and often blame their academics for their lack of sleep, when that is not always the case.

Sleep deprivation is certainly not something that can be fixed overnight, and the only way it will be is if students take matters into their own hands. Sure, today’s college atmosphere is more intense and competitive than ever, but the approach that its students are taking is completely wrong. Instead of abandoning their responsibilities, and putting partying and friends before schoolwork and sleep, they need to be using time management skills so that they can finish their work, and still enjoy themselves once their finished. After all, the main point of attending college is to receive a higher-level education and work towards a degree that will better your future. Baltz suggests that setting a personal bedtime can help to make sure that you get enough sleep. This way, no matter what you are doing you can stop and get some rest so that your next day can be productive. Things such as a healthy lifestyle can also help promote rest. Sometimes, 20-30 minutes of exercise during the day can allow for an easier transition into sleep (Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep). Relaxing, avoiding caffine, and reducing exposure to technology can help improve sleeping habits as well, but when it really comes down to it, it is about the student’s will to correct their problem.

Sleep deprivation is a growing problem among today’s college students that affects their physical, mental and social health, and hinders their academic performance. They become more irritable, have impaired reaction time and cognitive functions, and have an overall lowered performance, both physically and academically. Although schoolwork is becoming harder and harder by the generation, it is not what is fully to blame for students’ sleep loss. The problems that they create themselves, such as poor time management, procrastination, and the use of unhealthy stimulants are really what affects their abilities to really get a good night’s sleep. Only they truly have the power to change their own lifestyles, and it is their obligation to help their peers do the same. It is not easy to change the way people think, but it has to start somewhere. Just one student amongst a group of friends that encourages a positive change can create a snowball effect that could spread and change the lives of many others. The process won’t be quick or easy, but knowing that some student somewhere could be the one to make a difference, it’s not hard to sleep well.

 